Rado Manhattan mk2
It 1965 Rado designed the Manhattan. Had ’Rado’ finally arrived and become a force to be reckoned with? With the name Manhattan made to replicate the New York Skyline, It is a rectangular watch, wider than it is tall. Some say “Manhattan” on the dial; some do not, and the ones that are signed Manhattan on the dial are considerably more desirable. These models are also becoming very collectable. In 1970 the Manhattan MK2 was released which is the model I purchased. Many makers followed the Trend for Square and rectangular watches in the late 1960’ and early 1970’s. Like Zenith, Omega and many more. Like all Rado watch it has the iconic purple rotating anchor on the dial.
What is amazing you can still pick up a Rado Manhattan at very reasonable prices. Look out for ones on original NSA bracelets, with signed Rado clasps.
This model like a lot of watches of that period used NSA Bracelets made by Novavit SA of Genève Switzerland. Many Rado’s in the late 1960s, 1970s came on NSA bracelets with Rado signed clasps. I must say I am a huge fan and these bracelets from this period are becoming very collectable and in some cases can even cost more that the watch itself. So if your in the market for a Rado of this period, always try and get one with a bracelet, often they are adjusted to the person and the links can go missing and are costly to source. Novavit SA went bust way back in 1999.
With vintage watches look out for over polishing, many sellers will destroy the watch profiles to make it look shiny and apparently more saleable, to inexperienced buyers. This is especially more noticeable on square or rectangular watches. I would much prefer buying a watch in original condition than one that has been excessively polished. In the photo below you can see the sharp profiles and even the serial number on the side case.
It also has the signed crown with the Rado Logo
Like all Iconic watches a Reissue was released Rado release ‘The Rado Tradition 1965’ back in 2018.
Picture taken from Tideandtimewatches link and review here
