Radial internal clearance (RIC) is one of the most important parameters influencing on rolling bearing exploitation in mechanical systems. Lifetime of rotary machines strongly depends on a condition of applied rolling elements, thus a study on applied clearance is very important in terms of maintenance and reliability. This paper proposes, a novel approach of studying RIC, based on a nonlinear dynamics method called recurrences. The results are confronted with standard analyses, i.e. statistical condition indicators, Fast Fourier Transform and Continuous Wavelet Transform. The application of the mentioned methods allowed us to find the optimal radial clearance for operating bearings. To ensure precise measurements of the clearance, an automated setup for RIC measurements is applied and next mounted in a plummer block and tested to finally measure vibration acceleration. The proposed methods are useful for a condition monitoring and lifetime prediction of bearings or bearing-based systems in which a proper value of radial clearance is crucial.