Matthias Breschan

Pioneering Swiss watch brand Rado, which is known for revolutionising the watch industry with its high-tech materials and design-led collections, joined forces with India Art Fair 2019 for the first time ever as the Official Timekeeper. At a special presentation, Rado announced the first ever Rado Star Prize India and opened the call for entries. The Rado Star Prize aims to promote up-and-coming designers, giving them a platform to show their work to a panel of industry experts as well as the wider public. The theme of the Rado Star Prize India 2019 is ‘Design with Timeless Appeal’. Ten finalists and one winner of the Rado Star Prize India will be selected by a jury of local and international design professionals. The winner will receive INR 3,00,000 in prize money as well as a Rado watch. All finalists will have the opportunity to display their entries during the next Rado event. An additional Public Vote winner will receive a Rado watch.Rado Star Prize India Jury 2019 includes Hakim El Kadiri (Vice President, Product Management, Rado), Jagdip Jagpal (Director, India Art Fair) and Tagra & Thukral (Artist/ Designer duo). We had a chance to speak to Matthias Breschan, CEO of Rado about the first Indian chapter of Rado Star Prize.

Can you tell us more about the International Rado’s Star Prize that you will be introducing to India this year.

The Rado Star Prize has been running for around 10 years now in countries all around the world. It’s really established and is known and respected in the design industry. We set a theme each year that’s relevant and important to Rado – this year it’s Design with Timeless Appeal – and ask up-and-coming designers to respond to it. We use the Rado name, its reputation as an award-winning designer and a credible presence in design to give an amazing opportunity to the next generation of designers. Their work is seen and evaluated by a panel of industry experts. That’s an incredible chance for a young designer to get their design career off the ground! Through our Public Vote and traditional, digital and social media channels, the finalists’ projects also benefit from international exposure. That’s really invaluable. It’s inspirational to see the world through the eyes of new designers – they show us all what the world will look like in the future. The Rado Star Prize highlights new ways of thinking and doing and encourages projects that can benefit the lives of individuals or communities both now and in the future. 

For the Rado Star Prize, we know there are a lot of really interesting things happening in the art and design world in India and we feel it’s important for Rado to be a part of that. We also want to be a part of opening up local and global opportunities for the next generation of designers

How did your tie-up with India Art Fair take place and please tell us more about your collaboration with Tagra & Thukral?

India is a very important market for Rado. In a country where the brand has such a strong reputation, it’s important that we always showcase our design and materials innovations. The India Art Fair offers Rado a great opportunity to do that. It’s the event that brings artists and designers together to show what’s happening here in a whole range of different ways and that’s very exciting.

All the designers we work with offer something new for Rado. They apply their own unique vision to a watch we know incredibly well and that allows us to see our products in a new light. Designers push us to challenge ourselves. They provide the design and we find a way to make it happen. As a design duo, Tagra & Thukral think as one, it’s always a collaboration. We’re really interested in the way they use so many different media – in much the same way as Rado uses different materials in combination to create a harmonious whole. Their work is unconstrained and we believe that will provide one of our most interesting challenges yet. 

What’s next for Rado in India?

At Rado, our plans are largely unchanged each year. 1) Never stop innovating, 2) use our status as the most forward-thinking design player in the watch industry to keep pushing boundaries, 3) underline the brand’s reputation as the Master of Materials by introducing new colours, finishes and materials. In short, we plan to continue to set the standard and raise the bar in contemporary watchmaking.