Rado Balboa, two-tone steel and gold-plated, running – gold to brown fumé dial with the rotating anchor medallion, applied markers, date at 3 o'clock, on its original Rado brick-link bracelet. [IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ] The gold plating on the bracelet has worn through to the base metal. On the underside of the three gold-plated centre rows, across several links, the plating is gone and the darker base metal is exposed in patches with clear edges. This was checked against the surrounding links and it is wear, not a reflection. It is on the skin side of the bracelet and is not visible when the watch is worn, but it is permanent and cannot be polished out; re-plating would be needed. Together with the dial marks described below it is the reason this watch is graded Good rather than Very good. Please take this into account when bidding. [IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ] The bracelet cannot be made longer. As linked it fits a wrist of approximately 178 mm and no spare links are included, so it will not fit a larger wrist. Please check your wrist size before bidding. PLEASE NOTE: the caseback carries no reference number. It is a solid, faceted screw-back engraved only 74040757A, with no RADO name, no BALBOA, no SWISS or SWISS MADE, no STAINLESS STEEL and no water-resistance marking, and there is no sticker. The model name BALBOA is printed on the dial itself, above 6 o'clock beneath the V emblem, which is what the model is taken from; the number 74040757A is quoted below as it is engraved, with no interpretation placed on it. The dial carries no AUTOMATIC marking and no jewel count, and the caseback is solid, so the movement cannot be examined or the calibre named: automatic is stated here on the basis of the seller's own handling of the watch and is not something the photographs can confirm. There is no water-resistance marking anywhere, and the gaskets have never been tested or replaced, so the watch is not water resistant and must be kept away from water. The crystal is not marked as sapphire anywhere, so no claim is made about its material. The case is gold-plated over base metal, not solid gold, and carries no purity hallmark. The case width has been measured with a caliper at 36 mm. The thickness and the lug width have not yet been measured and are given below as approximations. Overview A Rado Balboa from the 1970s in the two-tone combination the model is known for: a gold-plated cushion case and gold-plated centre rows against brushed steel. The dial is the feature of the watch – a fumé gradient that is a warm gold at the centre and darkens to brown towards the edge, measured off the photographs at a hue of 39 to 46 degrees with the saturation falling from about 35 per cent at the centre to about 15 per cent at the rim. Below 12 sits the Rado anchor medallion, which turns freely as the watch is moved, with the applied three-dimensional RADO name of the older style above it, and BALBOA is printed above 6 beneath a V emblem. Eleven applied bar markers run round the dial, doubled at 12, with the 3 o'clock position given over to the date, which sits in an applied gold frame. The crystal is thick and strongly domed, in the way these cases were made. The bracelet is the original Rado brick-link bracelet, nine rows wide, with the anchor and RADO on the clasp. Specifications - Brand: Rado - Model: Balboa, taken from the BALBOA printed on the dial – see the note above - Reference number: none. The caseback is engraved 74040757A and nothing else – see the note above. - Movement: automatic, per the seller. The caseback is solid and the dial carries no AUTOMATIC marking or jewel count, so the movement cannot be seen and the calibre cannot be stated – see the note above. - Date of manufacture: 1970s, in the middle to later part of the decade, estimated from the cushion case shape, the thick domed crystal, the applied three-dimensional RADO of the older style, the rotating anchor medallion and the brick-link bracelet; there is no date code on the watch, so the year cannot be established - Case: cushion-shaped, gold-plated over base metal, with a solid faceted screw-back in plain stainless steel. The gold plating covers the whole of the case body, the lugs, the ring that retains the crystal and the crown; the caseback is bare steel. There is no purity hallmark anywhere. - Case width: 36 mm excluding the crown - Case thickness: approximately 12 to 14 mm, estimated from the photographs – to be confirmed by measurement - Crystal: thick and strongly domed, with no scratches, chips or cracks found. The material is not marked anywhere – see the note above. - Dial: fumé, gold at the centre darkening to brown at the edge, with no pattern. Measured off the photographs with the white background in the same frame used to correct the white balance, the hue sits between 39 and 46 degrees and the saturation falls from roughly 35 per cent at the centre to roughly 15 per cent at the rim. Catawiki's nearest single option is Gold, which is what has been entered; in the hand it reads as a warm gold centre with a brown surround. - Dial printing and fittings: the applied three-dimensional RADO name, the rotating anchor medallion below 12, and BALBOA printed above 6 beneath a V emblem. There is no AUTOMATIC marking and no jewel count. - Markers: eleven applied bar markers, doubled at 12, with cream inserts; the 3 o'clock position is taken by the date window. Whether the inserts still glow has not been tested. - Hands: three – baton hour and minute hands and a slim seconds hand. The hands carry no luminous material. - Date: window at 3 o'clock in an applied gold frame, white disc with black numerals and the 25 printed in red. There is no day – this is a date-only model. - Water resistance: no marking anywhere on the watch, and the gaskets have not been tested – see the note above - Caseback engraving: 74040757A only. Solid faceted screw-back, no other marking and no sticker. - Crown: gold-plated, at 3 o'clock. The top face is lost to glare in the photographs, so whether it carries the anchor logo cannot be confirmed. - Bracelet: original Rado stainless steel and gold-plated bracelet, nine rows of brick links, with the three centre rows gold-plated and the three outer rows on each side in steel. The clasp cover is stamped with the anchor and RADO, and the inner plate with the anchor, RADO and STAINLESS STEEL; no other maker's name appears anywhere on it. Two-fold clasp with a hinged latch and no push buttons. - Lug width: approximately 18 to 20 mm, estimated from the photographs – to be confirmed by measurement - Wearable size: as linked the bracelet fits a wrist of approximately 178 mm, taken from the graduated cone in the photographs. No spare links are included, so it cannot be lengthened – see the note above. - Weight: 93.91 g - Included accessories: none Condition Good, with visible signs of wear. - Bracelet plating: the gold plating has worn through to the base metal on the underside of the gold centre rows across several links, as described in the note at the top of this description. This is the most significant fault on the watch. - Dial: no crazing, no lifting of the markers and no discolouration were found under magnification, and the printing and the gradient are crisp. There are, however, a few very small dark specks at the outer edge of the dial between 10 and 11 o'clock, in the same position in two separate photographs, and a single fibre lying near 6 o'clock. These may be loose dust on or beneath the crystal rather than anything attached to the dial, but they are described here as they appear in the photographs. - Markers: all eleven present and firmly seated, with no corrosion. The cream inserts are complete. - Crystal: no scratches, chips or cracks were found. - Hands: all three straight and clean, with no corrosion. - Case and lugs: fine hairlines and scuffing over the gold-plated surfaces from normal wear, heaviest on the case sides and the lug tops. The plating is thin in places but no base metal is exposed on the case or the lugs. No dents and no distortion. - Caseback: brushed steel with fine scratches from normal wear. The engraving is clear. - Crown: intact and correctly seated, with no chips or deformation. - Corrosion: no rust and no green corrosion were found anywhere on the watch. - Bracelet and clasp: no broken or missing links and no rust. Fine scratches across all of the links and on the clasp cover. The clasp closes and latches correctly. Stretch could not be assessed from the photographs. Working order The watch is running. The seconds hand was measured across four photographs spanning 15.053 seconds by their timestamps: over that interval it advanced 91.5 degrees against a theoretical 90.3 degrees, a difference of 1.2 degrees, which is within the accuracy of reading a hand position from a photograph, and there is no interval in which it stopped. The power reserve, the winding, the date changeover, the timekeeping accuracy and the water resistance have not been tested with equipment, and the movement has not been serviced. Please consider this a used mechanical watch that may require servicing. Included Watch and bracelet only. No box, papers, warranty card, spare links or other accessories. Shipping Ships from Japan. Registered and insured shipping, mainly via DHL or FedEx. Import duties or taxes may apply depending on the buyer's country. These charges must be paid by the buyer. No weekend shipping as courier pickups are unavailable on Saturdays and Sundays. Please feel free to contact me with any questions before placing your bid.