Rado
Rado Florence 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Rado · Florence
Rado Florence 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Reference 91350ST.54
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Rado
- Collection
- Florence
- Model
- Rado Florence 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
- Reference number
- 91350ST.54
- Year / era
- 1982 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 188 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 8E — Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1982 – 1985
- Limited-edition quantity
- 188 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Rado Florence 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless sits within Rado's Florence line, introduced in 1982. It carries the house codes established since 1917 — stainless steel case, mother-of-pearl dial and automatic, 38-hour reserve — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Rado
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1917
- Founder
- Fritz, Ernst & Werner Schlup
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Captain Cook, DiaStar, True Square, Florence, Hyperchrome
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- Automatic COSC chronometer · Quartz · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic, 38-hour reserve
- Notable watches
- Rado Captain Cook 43 mm Meteorite 18k (1952) · Rado Captain Cook 40 mm Black 18k (1971) · Rado Captain Cook 37 mm Blue Sapphire (2003) · Rado Captain Cook 40 mm Salmon Ceramic (1957)
Brand history
Rado has spent more than 109 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Captain Cook, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Fritz, Ernst & Werner Schlup established Rado in 1917, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Rado calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1917
Fritz, Ernst & Werner Schlup founds Rado in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Rado to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Rado enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Rado continues to produce Captain Cook, DiaStar, True Square and other icons in limited numbers.