Introducing the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic

The Low-Down

Rado is known as the Master of Materials, primarily thanks to its iconic ceramic watches that have been a staple for the brand for over thirty years. Whilst many brands shout from the rooftops about their ceramic innovations, Rado has been quietly going about its ceramic business since the launch of its Integral in 1986, with its scratch-resistant high-tech ceramic bracelet. In fact, Rado’s CEO Mr Adrian Bosshard has been wearing his Rado Ceramica for over 20 years and believes that it gets better with age and looks as good as the day he bought it. Now the brand is giving its Captain Cook line the full ceramic treatment and it’s a winner!

The 1950s and 60s were the golden age of dive watches. As recreational diving became ever more popular and scuba diving was undertaken by professionals and amateurs alike, the one thing all divers needed was a way to time their dive. This was many years before the advent of wrist-mounted dive computers and a dive watch was truly a life-saving piece of kit.
Truly a tool of the trade, hence the general term ‘tool watch’. Rado was a player in this age with the launch of the Captain Cook in 1962. A relatively diminutive 36mm cased dive watch, it featured a date complication a good few years ahead of some of its competitors and featured highly legible painted luminous hour markers and a large arrow hour hand. One of the coolest elements, in my mind, of the vintage pieces was the applied logo, the shape of an anchor, that rotated with the movement on the wrist. This had no mechanical merit but was just a natty aesthetic touch!

The new Captain Cook is available in four versions – three of which have black cases with steel bezels and winding crowns with a ceramic bezel insert. The black on black is available with either a black ceramic bracelet or rubber strap. (©Revolution)
The new Captain Cook is available in four versions – three of which have black cases with steel bezels and winding crowns with a ceramic bezel insert. The black on black is available with either a black ceramic bracelet or rubber strap. (©Revolution)
The new Captain Cook is available in four versions – three of which have black cases with steel bezels and winding crowns with a ceramic bezel insert. The black on black is available with either a black ceramic bracelet or rubber strap. (©Revolution)

IMHO

As many brands now do, Rado looked back into its catalogue and revived the Captain Cook line in 2017, after the original watches were discontinued after six years’ production in 1968. The 2017 HyperChrome version was a very faithful reinterpretation, including the spinning anchor logo and 37mm case size, that caught a lot of journos and collectors off guard and became one of the biggest hits of the year. The 2019 release was a true 21st century reimagining of the Captain Cook, in a 42mm case with a number of colours. And then came the Revolution Editions, my favourite of which was the Ghost Captain, with super-cool ‘faded’ ceramic bezel.

Now Rado, the Master of Materials, has taken its ceramic technology and created a 43mm high-tech ceramic cased Captain Cook in four versions. The cases are of monobloc construction and are entirely scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic. There are four versions of the watch – three of which have black cases with steel bezels and winding crowns with a ceramic bezel insert. The black on black is available with either a black ceramic bracelet or rubber strap. There is also a black and rose gold version; the rose gold being a PVD-coated steel bezel ring and winding crown.

The fourth version has a plasma high-tech ceramic case that is graphite grey in colour. This watch has a blue ceramic bezel insert and blue accents on the dial and is really different on the wrist compared to the other three. All four models are powered by the Rado calibre R734 with an impressive 80-hour power reserve that is tested in five positions and is 20 times less prone to negative impact from magnetic fields thanks to the Nivachron balance spring. And those of us that like to see what’s going on under the hood, there is a treat in store that’s to the tinted sapphire display caseback that is complemented by the sapphire dials on all the watches. Front and back of the movement, you can see it all thanks to this double-sided view of the skeletonised R734.

All four models of the new Rado Captain Cook are powered by calibre R734 that promises an impressive 80-hour power reserve. (©Revolution)
All four models of the new Rado Captain Cook are powered by calibre R734 that promises an impressive 80-hour power reserve. (©Revolution)

I have to say that I was sceptical about a 43mm watch, my sweet spot being 39-40mm for a dive watch. On the wrist, however, the watch is supremely comfortable and I love the way the ceramic adapts to your body temperature leaving you with the feeling of not really having a watch on; a sensation that is supported by the lightweight nature of the pieces. On the wrist, my favourite was the black on black with a rubber strap. You really could do anything wearing this watch. I’m also a sucker for blue, especially on a sports watch and so my equal favourite was the plasma ceramic with blue bezel and dial accents. I was lucky that it was an uncharacteristically sunny day when I got to try all four versions and the blue really did pop in the sun. It might be on verge of being 50 years old, but there’s no doubt that Captain Cook, the salty old sea dog, really does have some life in him still!

Tech Specs

Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic (©Revolution)
Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic (©Revolution)

Movements:
Rado calibre R734 skeletonised with 80-hour power reserve and antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring.

Case and dial:
43mm high-tech ceramic and plasma high-tech ceramic (blue bezel/dial).
Steel bezels and winding crowns.
Sapphire dial and sapphire display case back.

Strap:
Matte and polished three-link ceramic bracelets.
Rubber strap with folding deployment.

Availability:
Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic: £3,345
Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Rose Gold: £3,400
Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic rubber strap: £3,065
Captain Cook Plasma High Tech Ceramic (blue bezel): £3,530

All models available now:  https://www.rado.com/en_gb/collections/captain-cook-ht-ceramic/captain-cook-ht-ceramic

Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic (©Revolution)
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