Rado True Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier, the collection

Introduction

Some people leave their mark, their style passes down to future generations, and is enduring. If we had to mention one character that marked last century’s art and design and keeps inspiring the current generation of designers and artists, I would cite Le Corbusier.

He is one of the greatest artists of all time and the only one capable of being an architect, a designer, a painter, an urban planner, and, last but not least, a writer, all at once.

The Architectural Polychromy

Among its most notable works of art is the Architectural Polychromy, released as two color collections in 1931 and 1959, respectively. That project includes two groups of internationally coded colors, still widely adopted by today’s architects and interior designers.

The first-ever release, dated 1931, included 43 palettes divided into 14 groups, while the second, from 1959, completed the collection by adding another 20 new colors.

The Le Corbusier Foundation entrusted Les Coleurs Suisse AG to manage the Architectural Polichromy‘s copyright. Whoever officially adopts the Polychromy joins a selected group of brands that are allowed to apply the Les Coleurs™ hallmark on their products.

This trademark is to design what a seal is in terms of mechanical refinement; it adds that plus that sets your product apart from the competition.

The Rado x Le Corbusier collections

Rado is an avant-garde brand, sporting a trend-setting minimalistic design, whose foothold looks closer to modern design product making, rather than just timepiece making; there’s no doubt its style is distinctive in the whole watchmaking scenario.

The Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier

Three years after the launch of the partnership with Les Couleurs Suisse AG, Rado has introduced a new True Square-based collection. Three limited edition models (999 pieces each) push the collaboration forward.

Rado has debuted its first-ever two-tone coloured ceramics watch.

A Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier is available as a monochromatic ivory black shade option or in two two-tone variants: one comes with case, dial and outer bracelet’s links in natural grey-brown, with mid links showcasing a creamy white tone (same as the hour and minute hands, and indexes).

The second one adopts a greyish English green bracelet (which, again, you’ll sport on the dial) with a matching iron grey structure instead.

All watches come with a PVD-treated butterfly-type clasp in titanium. Thanks to the quartz movement, the case measures 37.0mm x 43.3mm and is just 5.0mm thick. Size and materials make them highly comfortable and almost imperceptible on the wrist.

The link between this collection and the 2019 original one is also evident from a 99-piece unique edition box set that Rado created for the occasion: a black Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier is surrounded by eight Thinline models.

The Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs^TM Le Corbusier

The association between ceramics and colors of the Rado True Thinline collection Les Couleurs^TM Le Corbusier is the best outcome of the partnership, and envisions what the brand has already showcased with the launch of the Rado True Thinline Nature Collection, back in 2018, or by introducing some timepieces created in close collaboration with remarkable designers.

I would pick, for example, the Rado True Phospho and the Rado True Stratum (the last one being my all-time favs among the so-called “collaboration pieces” presented two years ago).

For each of the colors that belong to the Architectural Polychromy, Rado has created a limited series of 999 pieces, each of which bears, on the titanium case-back, a pattern that includes the collection’s 63 colors. This operation unquestionably has raised Rado‘s awareness as a master of both ceramic-made and trend-setting timepieces.

The 2019 Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs^TM Le Corbusier sports the same look as the standard True Thinline, i.e., it features a 39.00 mm wide and 5.00 mm thick single-piece ceramic case, yet it feels different, given the innovative color palette.

I believe that the green and red variations are the most appealing, and the ones that best combine a look geared towards both him and her; I also think that the master, looking down on us, will be happy to find out that his creativity has finally affected the watchmaking industry too.

(Photo credit: Rado watches)

Gaetano C @Horbiter®