Rado Caliber R808

The Rado caliber R808 is a skeletonized 3-hander automatic watch movement. This caliber is a true no-date movement without a phantom date crown position.

This caliber was first used in the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Limited Edition (yes, that is the full name of the model).

In Rado’s own words:

“This year we celebrate the brand’s deep-rooted pioneering spirit with The Art of Skeletonisation, presenting superb examples of skeleton design that offer a tantalizing glimpse into the beating heart of the watch. The new Rado Calibre R808 automatic movement drives the DiaStar Original Skeleton, Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Skeleton and True Square Skeleton.” -Rado 2023/2024 Collection book, page 2 (linked below)

Base Caliber:

This caliber is basically an ETA caliber C07.901 with a Rado branded rotor.

The caliber designation “C07901+” can be seen under the balance wheel in the stock picture. Caliber Corner has not confirmed what the plus sign refers to in this instance.

C07.XXX movements are based on the 2824-2 framework and make up the Powermatic 80 family of movements.

Is the Rado calibre R808 an in-house movement?

No. The R808 is not an in-house movement, although Rado and ETA are both owned by the same Swatch Group conglomerate of watch companies.

The C07.901 is also found in the Hamilton Ventura XXL.

Read More: ETA Caliber C07.XXX

R808 VS R734:

There is a similar caliber R734 which is based on the ETA C07.611. Rado states that, like the R808, the R734 also has a Nivachron hairspring and 80 hours of power reserve.

Caliber Corner is still looking into the differences between these two movements, but from what is obvious based on images and marketing copy, the R808 has an upgraded skeletonized dial design, as well as being tested in 5 positions rather than 3 (see below).

Caliber Number:

Note that although the rotor is signed “CALIBRE R808”, Rado’s official site (for example, the Captain Cook High-Tech Skeleton page here) lists it as movement reference 03.808.060.

Update: It appears that since each model has a different execution of the skeletonized design on the dial side, Rado gives them different reference numbers – although they are all still cal. R808. Therefore, not all R808 movements are created equal (at least aesthetically), so keep that in mind if you need to source a watch for parts/repair.

An easy and obvious way to tell if a watch model has the R808 based on the movement reference number, is that “808” is the second set of digits. For watches with the caliber R734, “734” is in the second set of digits.

Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton

True Square Automatic Skeleton

DiaStar Original Skeleton

Anti-Magnetic Nivachron Hairspring:

The R808 has a Nivachron hairspring (aka balance spring) which has antimagnetic properties.

Does the R808 have a silicone hairspring?

No. It is not a silicone hairspring. Nivachron hairpsrings are made from a titanium-based alloy.

On page 04 of the brand’s 2022/2023 General Collection Book, Rado provides their own description for the model of hairspring used in the R808:

“Nivachron™ is a titanium-based alloy that is used to manufacture balance springs and it is sensitive to magnetic fields, resistant to fluctuations in tem- perature and has outstanding impact resistance.”

And also this:

“Nivachron™ is a titanium-based alloy that is used to manufacture balance springs. The innovative material was developed with the involvement of the Swatch Group and is insensitive to magnetic fields, resistant to fluctuations in temperature and has outstanding impact resistance.” -Rado 2022/2023 General Collection Book, page 21

On the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Limited Edition product page on their website, Rado states:

“The three-hand movement exceeds standard accuracy test requirements from 3 to 5 positions, thanks to its antimagnetic Nivachron™ hairspring.” -Source

It’s unclear what Rado is trying to say here – it comes across as an incomplete sentence. Thanks to its antimagnetic hairspring… what? The standard accuracy test requirements (assuming they are referring to COSC) requirements were exceeded, by testing in 5 positions rather than COSC’s standard 3 position test… but this would have nothing to do with being “thanks” to the hairpspring. On the contrary, testing in 2 additional positions would be thanks to the technician who moved the testing apparatus 2 extra times and recorded the accuracy in those extra positions.

To a timepiece professional, the sentence makes little sense and connects unrelated concepts. But, perhaps if a potential watch buyer were reading that marketing sentence quickly, it would effectively influence what they think about the watch, leaving a positive quantitative impression based on keywords “exceeds”… “accuracy”… “3 to 5″… “thanks to”… “antimagnetic hairspring”. However, the antimagnetic hairspring would have no impact on how many times the brand or manufacturer was able to test the accuracy of the movement. You the reader can also test any of your non-antimagnetic watches in 5 positions! Thanks to yourself and the maneuverability of the microphone on your timing machine.

Accuracy Rating:

The Rado General Collection Book states that the deviation of timekeeping accuracy for the calibre R808 is within a range of 0 to +10 seconds per day.

Additional Resources:

• Rado Collection 2024 (consumer catalog)
• Rado official user manual (pdf)