The Timeless Leader on How Rado Made India Its Engine

When Adrian Bosshard, CEO of Rado, says that a market has become “the biggest” for his brand, he speaks with the calm cadence of a strategist who's watched decades of cycles, not the hyperbole of a short-term booster.

- BY PUNITA SABHARWAL

For Rado, that market is India — the product of nearly 70 years of presence, patient investments, and a rare alignment between brand DNA and local desire. Entrepreneur traces how a heritage Swiss watchmaker pivoted from craft to contemporary relevance under Bosshard’s stewardship, and why India now sits at the centre of Rado’s global growth story.

FROM RACETRACK RIGOR TO BOARDROOM CLARITY

Adrian Bosshard's journey to the helm of Rado is a study in contrasts that somehow belong together. He spent his early life as a professional motorbike racer — a period he calls his living classroom. “You are alone on the bike when you are in the race,” he told me. Yet victory isn't solo: it requires a tight-knit team to prepare the machine.

The instincts of a racer are not far removed from those of a CEO steering a legacy brand through rapid cultural and economic shifts: relentless focus on targets; the humility to know that success doesn't guarantee tomorrow; the discipline to get up after a fall. “Stay humble, stay reasonable and stay focused,” he said, summarizing a philosophy he's tested across three decades at Swatch Group and five-and-a-half years leading Rado. The motorsport metaphor is apt. Under his watch, performance depends on continuous tuning: product engineering, distribution, and marketing are the mechanical parts; people are the pit crew who make the timing and execution possible.

A CENTURY OF CRAFT, A MODERN PIVOT