Opinion
Setting Sail with the Rado Captain Cook
Dive into the Past
The Captain Cook made its debut back in 1962, at a time when the public was still newly fascinated with the undiscovered world of the briny deep. With echoes of Jacques Cousteau’s groundbreaking documentary Le Monde du Silence reverberating culturally, the television show Sea Hunt airing in millions of homes, and sport diving coming into its own, dive watches were all the rage. In light of this, it should come as no surprise that Rado wanted in on the action. However, as a relative latecomer to the dive watch genre, which got its start in the early to mid-’50s with the likes of Blancpain and Rolex, it had to work harder to separate itself from the pack. And it did with a forward-looking case and bezel design that was at once unique and immediately recognisable, as well as practical in use and highly legible. Indeed, to these eyes, the design serves as well today as it did back then, without looking overtly retro for the sake of being retro.
To this day, vintage Captain Cooks remain rare in the vintage marketplace by dint of their low production numbers — approximately 8,000 were made in total — and the fact that many were used exactly the way that Rado envisioned.
Smooth Sailing Ahead
Alas, the Captain Cook was only produced for six years, and in 1968 it sailed off into the sunset — until 2017 when Rado reintroduced the collection with a remarkably faithful homage to the original.
Clocking in at a mere 37mm in diameter, the new Captain Cook was larger than the original, but otherwise, it was a dead-ringer. (Indeed, at the time, Rado referred to it as a “vintage replica”.) All of the key details were present and accounted for, though in many cases, updated with today’s technology. For instance, the delightful box acrylic crystal was replaced with sapphire, while — perhaps most notably, given the brand — the concave bezel was now rendered in ceramic. And for those who wanted to make a more contemporary statement, the Captain Cook HyperChrome — released simultaneously — was rendered entirely in hardened titanium and measured a robust 45mm in diameter.
[It should be noted here that here at Revolution, we were so impressed with the reincarnated Captain Cook that we partnered with Rado not just once, but twice with our “Ghost Captain” limited editions in 37mm and 42mm, respectively.]
The 37mm homage is still part of Rado’s catalogue, but the go-to size is now a more modern 42mm, which can be had in either stainless steel or bronze (the 45mm titanium version has since been discontinued). And while the steel versions may be the closest in spirit to the original, the bronze models are the ones that have taken centre stage of late. Of course, bronze is nothing new in the dive watch genre these days, what with everyone and their grandmother having since jumped on the bandwagon — but few, if any of the current crop of bronze divers wear their duds as convincingly as the Captain Cook, and certainly not at this price point. Interestingly, unlike most manufactures, Rado chose a bronze/aluminium alloy similar to the one used by Tudor, which mitigates some of the trademark ageing that comes part and parcel with the material (patina lovers, take note). Even better, the Captain Cook Bronze is available in not one, but three dial colours — green, blue and brown — with matching ceramic bezels and leather straps.
Should stainless steel be your material of choice, however, you can choose from black, blue, green, grey or brown dials.
Under the hood, one could be excused for expecting to find the legendary workhorse ETA calibre 2824, which has been the movement of choice for countless tool watches owing to its sturdy construction and ease of service. Instead, however, Rado has seen fit to go with the capable RADO Caliber 763 (ETA calibre C07.611). What separates this movement from the standard fare that you would expect to find at this level is its impressive 80-hour power reserve, which ETA accomplished by reducing the beat rate from 28,800vph to 21,600vph, among other things. The hat trick here, however, is that in doing so, they still managed to keep the accuracy consistent, even at lower power levels, thanks to new manufacturing processes and materials.
Setting a Course Toward the Future
And, speaking of that future, a quick look into our crystal ball hints at new dial/bezel colours, and possibly even a full ceramic version… Only time will tell. For now, the course has been set, and clear skies are ahead.
Movement
RADO Caliber 763 (ETA calibre C07.611)
Case
42mm bronze, high-tech ceramic
Strap
Leather strap with easy clip system with optional metal bracelet, and NATO straps.
Price
CHF 2,600 | USD 2,600
Captain Cook Automatic Bronze, Blue Ref. R32504205 | 01.763.0504.3.120; Green Ref. R32504315 | 01.763.0504.3.131; Brown Ref. R32504306 | 01.763.0504.3.230
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