Rado Green Horse De Luxe Service & Repair
Servicing the Rado
The service of the Rado Green Horse wristwatch, powered by the 17 jewel A. Schild 1700 automatic movement, began with a full disassembly to assess the condition of each component. Upon inspection, the movement showed signs of dried lubricants and minor wear in some pivot points. Each part was carefully cleaned—first by hand where needed, then in a professional watch cleaning machine—to remove hardened oils and debris. The jewels were polished, and the gear train inspected for straightness and proper end shake. After reassembly and lubrication, the movement was regulated for accuracy. The case and crystal were cleaned and lightly polished, preserving the watch’s original finish. Once completed, the Rado Green Horse ran smoothly, keeping excellent.
Start on the Repair of your Vintage Rado
If you would like to initiate the repair of your vintage timepiece contact me directly, or visit getting started.
For additional information on watches we work on please visit these pages: Vintage Rolex repair— Vintage Breitling repair —Vintage Omega repair — Vintage Heuer repair —Bulova Repair, and Pocket Watch Repair. See my FAQ for additional information, and visit Watch Repair Case Studies.
Rado Horse Wristwatch History
The Rado watch company was founded in 1917 under the name Schlup & Co. By the end of World War 2 they had become one of the largest watch movement producers in the world. The horse collection of watches (which includes the Green, Silver, Gold, Purple and Sapphire Horses) was one of the first to be released under the Rado name, and the first to to be advertised as water resistant. This model also introduced the anchor symbol on the dial, releasing hundreds of variations from manual to automatic, non-date to day-date, and different sizes and movements.
From 1957 to 1962 Rado was modestly successful in South America and the Far East. Paul Lüthi of Rado apparently spent time in Asia, and this possibly inspired the ”Horse” models. This line of watches featured a 120 meter water resistance rating, and a unique 1/4 turn unlocking case back. For more information on Rado’s history, the current company’s website has a very extensive section at History of Rado.
The A. Schild 1700 Movement
The A. Schild caliber 1700/01 is a vintage Swiss automatic watch movement produced by A. Schild S.A., a prolific mid-20th century ébauche maker that supplied mechanical movements to numerous brands. The AS 1700/01 features automatic winding with a centrally mounted sweep seconds hand and a robust self-winding mechanism in a compact 11½-ligne size, making it popular in dress watches of the late 1950s and 1960s. Known for its straightforward design and reliable performance, this movement remains serviceable today thanks to plentiful parts and familiar construction, and can be restored to accurate running with proper cleaning, lubrication, and adjustment.
