Rado True Square Thinline x Tan Jianci: The Art Of Time, The Mastery Of Materials, And The Courage To Shine

Ringed by fire and the thunder of artillery, neutral Switzerland stands trapped at the brutal heart of a burning Europe. Beyond its snow-capped peaks lies total warfare; within its borders unfolds a silent, high-stakes game of spies, secret plots, and exiled revolutionaries. 

Surrounded by chaos, this alpine nation fights a desperate, invisible battle to survive—a fragile sanctuary standing on the edge of destruction.

 In the quiet Swiss village of Lengnau, Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup began with a proposition that would eventually challenge the conventions of traditional watchmaking. Their workshop, Schlup & Co., operated from their parents’ home, producing watch movements with the precision and discipline upon which Swiss horology had built its reputation. 

The brothers could scarcely have imagined that their modest enterprise would become one of the industry’s most compelling laboratories for material innovation. Yet the ambition was already there: to make tomorrow’s watch differently from yesterday’s.

Four decades later, the family enterprise took its defining leap. In 1957, Rado introduced its own branded watches, including the Golden Horse and Green Horse collections. The name Rado, derived from the Esperanto word for “wheel”, carried an appropriately universal spirit. 

Then came 1962, a watershed year that brought both the DiaStar 1, recognised as the world’s first scratch-resistant watch, and the Captain Cook, the brand’s inaugural dive watch. With its hard-metal construction and sapphire crystal, the DiaStar demonstrated that a watch could be as much an expression of technological audacity as a measure of passing hours. 

Rado was beginning to establish an identity that would eventually earn it the distinction of the Master of Materials.

Nearly a century after those beginnings, the story finds a compelling new protagonist in Beijing. Tan Jianci, the Chinese actor, singer and performer whose career moves between cinema, television, music and dance, understands that time is never simply something to be read from a dial. It is something to be negotiated, invested and, occasionally, reclaimed.

A morning might begin with physical training; an afternoon could find him immersed in a demanding film scene or television production. Rehearsals, recording sessions, travel and public appearances fill the spaces between. 

And somewhere amid this relentless choreography, a brief video message or social-media post becomes an intimate gesture towards his followers, allowing thousands of admirers to feel a little closer to the person behind the performances.

Tan’s appeal lies partly in this multiplicity. Since making his acting debut in 2007, he has developed a substantial following through productions including Under the Skin and Lost You Forever, while maintaining his identity as a singer and accomplished dancer. 

Rado appointed him Global Brand Ambassador in January 2025, a partnership grounded in their shared appetite for creative expression and unconventional design.

For a performer whose public identity is shaped by constant reinvention, a watch becomes an unexpectedly personal companion. It must function reliably, feel effortless on the wrist and communicate something of its wearer without demanding attention. 

These are precisely the qualities that make the new Rado True Square Thinline x Tan Jianci Limited Edition an interesting proposition.

The collaboration reached its decisive moment in Switzerland, where Tan encountered Lake Lungern. Its crystalline waters, shifting between emerald and turquoise beneath the surrounding mountains, provided more than an agreeable holiday memory. They offered a colour, a mood and an emotional reference point around which a watch could take shape.

At Rado, Tan joined chief executive Adrian Bosshard, designers and product specialists in a series of creative exchanges. Several possibilities were explored before the actor gravitated towards the understated elegance of the True Square Thinline. 

Its rounded-square geometry offered an alternative to the ubiquitous circular sports watch, while its remarkably slender 5 mm profile expressed a quieter, more contemporary understanding of luxury.

The True Square collection builds upon Rado’s longstanding relationship with ceramic and distinctive case architecture. The Thinline interpretation takes that philosophy towards minimalism, allowing proportion, surface and material to assume centre stage. Here, the appeal is not an accumulation of complications or conspicuous mechanical theatre. It is the discipline of removing visual excess until every remaining detail earns its place.

The watch’s white high-tech ceramic construction is central to that achievement. Developed from advanced ceramic technology, the material offers exceptional scratch resistance, a smooth, skin-friendly surface and impressive lightness. 

Its cool, luminous finish also creates an intriguing contrast with the dial: a mother-of-pearl surface in shimmering turquoise, whose appearance shifts subtly with the light.

That dial deserves particular attention. Rather than treating colour as an accessory, Rado and Tan make it the emotional heart of the design. The turquoise recalls Lake Lungern without attempting a literal reproduction of its waters. Iridescent mother-of-pearl introduces depth and movement, lending the otherwise restrained composition an almost liquid quality. 

White ceramic frames the dial like sunlight against water, while small yellow accents on the hands and Rado logo introduce a flash of optimism.

The result is an exercise in controlled exuberance: contemporary without feeling disposable, distinctive without becoming theatrical. In a luxury market often crowded with oversized cases and aggressively complicated designs, its restraint feels refreshingly assured.

Inside, the R420 quartz movement delivers reliable timekeeping. That distinction matters. Although the watch belongs to a sophisticated horological universe, it is not a mechanical timepiece, and its appeal should not depend upon pretending otherwise. 

Quartz technology provides accuracy and practicality within an exceptionally slim construction. For an individual whose schedule leaves little room for inconvenience, the choice makes considerable sense.

Tan has expressed his admiration for the material behind the collaboration: “The process behind hightech ceramic is fascinating, and its noble properties bring a watch to another level. I see no other material for our co-created timepiece. I want everyone to experience the unique feeling of wearing a Rado watch.”

His enthusiasm becomes more comprehensible when one considers what high-tech ceramic represents for Rado. Creating it involves far more than selecting an attractive material. 

Zirconium oxide powder undergoes specialised forming, high-temperature sintering and precision finishing before emerging as the hard, smooth component familiar to the wearer. Rado’s expertise lies in making this demanding industrial process serve design rather than overwhelm it.

The True Square Thinline is therefore part of a much longer conversation about what a Swiss watch can be. Rado’s historical significance rests not solely upon its heritage, but upon its willingness to pursue materials and silhouettes that distinguish its products from more traditional expressions of Swiss luxury. 

The DiaStar pioneered scratch-resistant construction; subsequent generations explored new forms of ceramic and increasingly adventurous design. The True Square Thinline continues that search through lightness, tactility and architectural simplicity.

For collectors, such innovation offers a different proposition from conventional prestige. The value lies in the relationship between engineering, durability, distinctive design and the expertise required to bring them together. 

High-tech ceramic is not indestructible, but its resistance to everyday scratches and its enduring surface qualities make it a particularly persuasive material for a watch intended to be worn frequently.

The final details give the limited edition its personal dimension. On the case back, “CO-CREATED BY JCT” records Tan’s direct involvement, while a yellow accent adds a discreet signature. The clasp carries the engraving “KEEP SHINING”, a concise expression of the collaboration’s underlying philosophy: pursue your own direction, trust your creativity and allow your individuality to emerge.

Each watch is also individually engraved “ONE OF 320”, connecting its owner to Tan’s community of admirers. Limited to just 320 pieces worldwide, the edition has an obvious emotional resonance for dedicated fans. 

Yet its strongest argument extends beyond celebrity association. The combination of an unusual silhouette, luminous mother-of-pearl, white ceramic and personal provenance gives the watch a coherent identity of its own.

What ultimately distinguishes this collaboration is its understanding that luxury need not shout to be remembered. Sometimes, it is the colour of a lake, the weightlessness of ceramic against the skin or a few carefully chosen words on a clasp that leave the deepest impression.

For Tan Jianci, the watch translates a moment of inspiration into something tangible. For Rado, it reaffirms a century-long conviction that innovation begins when imagination is allowed to challenge convention. 

And for the wearer, the message is disarmingly simple: time will continue to move, but how we choose to inhabit it remains entirely our own.

For pricing and more details on Rado True Square Thinline x Tan Jianci Limited Edition watch, visit yoyr nearest Rado boutiques today.

*Photos courtesy of Rado.