The original Captain Cook model was introduced in 1962 and was designed to meet the needs of divers and explorers. The Over-Pole variant of the Captain Cook was a specialized edition intended for travelers with worldtime complication.

In 2022, Rado had re-introduced the Over-Pole in a compact 37mm steel case with a modern gradient dial. The new 2025 Over-Pole comes in a slightly larger 39mm case, coated with yellow gold color PVD for the jet-set era vintage feel. This worldtimer gives the vibes of air travel in Sixties, when the transatlantic economy class seat was the size of a recliner, four course meals were served on the cart, and a cigar with single malt offered for the night cap.

Rado Captain Cook Over-Pole

The 39mm steel case is proportionally compact with 45.5mm lug-to-lug measurement and 10.9mm case height. The yellow gold-colored PVD is polished, and the water resistance is 100m. The bi-directional bezel is Rado’s proprietary high-tech black ceramic with laser-engraved and lacquered city names. All the measurements and materials tick all the right boxes for a comfortable fit and flexible to be worn with a suit in business class or jeans in premium economy.

The 39mm steel case is proportionally compact with 45.5mm lug-to-lug measurement and 10.9mm case height

The yellow gold-colored PVD is polished

The silver sunray finish dial is simple, subdued, and legible. The curved, yellow gold-colored applied indexes match the gold case and bracelet nicely. The light-green luminescent dots above the indexes are filled with vintage white Super-LumiNova. The date complication at 3 o’clock position makes for easy reading. The polished yellow gold-colored dauphine-style hands also are filled with vintage white Super-LumiNova.

The date complication at 3 o’clock position makes for easy reading

The bidirectional rotating bezel with city names facilitates easy time zone adjustments. To determine the time for various cities, rotate the bezel until the reference city representing your local time aligns with your current local time in 24-hour format, using the scale on the outer edge of the dial. The approximate time for any time zone can then be read based on the 24-hour indication corresponding to its position on the bezel.

The bidirectional rotating bezel with city names facilitates easy time zone adjustments

At the core of the Rado Captain Cook Over-Pole lies the R862 Worldtimer manual-winding movement. It is manual winding variation of Swatch’s Powermatic 80 movement. If offers 80-hours of power reserve and beats at 21,600vph (3hz). Essentially, Swatch has slowed down the frequency from normal ETA 2824 movement’s 4hz to 3hz to provide a larger power reserve. The movement comes with Côtes-de-Genève surface finishing and blue screws.

The R862 Worldtimer manual-winding movement

The brown vintage-style leather strap offers more casual and classic look. However, to truly appreciate this watch and its jet-set vibe, it should be worn on the polished and brushed beads-of-rice style yellow gold-colored PVD steel bracelet. Both the strap and bracelet have easy change mechanism for effortless, tool-free strap changes.

Rado Captain Cook Over-Pole in brown vintage-style leather strap

Captain Cook Over-Pole is limited to 1,962 pieces. For more information, visit Rado’s website.

Tech Specs

Rado Captain Cook Over-Pole (Ref. R32193018)

Movement: Manual winding caliber R862; 80-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and world-timer
Case: 39mm x 10.9mm; polished yellow gold PVD stainless steel with bi-directional high-tech ceramic bezel; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Silver sunray finish; yellow gold-colored applied markers with vintage white Super-LumiNova
Strap: Brown vintage leather with stainless steel pin buckle featuring EasyClip System; additional yellow gold PVD stainless steel “beads of rice” style bracelet
Price: USD 2,800
Availability: Limited edition of 1,962 pieces