Introducing the Rado Captain Cook Automatic Limited Edition (with New Dial and Travel Case)

Rado is a Swiss brand with a dual personality. On the one hand, they are known for pushing the design envelope with their Ceramica, HyperChrome, and ThinLine collections, utilizing a variety of ceramic compounds to make watches that are durable and modern. On the other hand, they have been enjoying renewed attention from enthusiasts with the reintroduction of the Captain Cook line in 2017. These are watches inspired by Rado’s own back catalog of divers from the ‘60s and offer a ton of old school charm without skimping on some of the more modern watchmaking tech available today. Here, we have a brand new limited edition Captain Cook that brings a new dial to the collection. Let’s jump in.

This new watch, dubbed simply the Captain Cook Automatic Limited Edition, features the same 37-millimeter case (14.3 millimeters thick), which makes for a compact and comfortable watch on the wrist. Rado deserves some credit for sticking with classic dimensions for the Captain Cook. The watch world, and diver market in particular, is chock full of supersized watches, so it’s nice to have a more discreet option.

Rado is giving us a new brown sun-brushed dial with printed indexes, giving the watch a “tropical” look, and, love it or hate it, radium replicating lume on the indices and hands. While many scoff at the faux-vintage application of lume, on a watch like this, that’s even sized appropriately for the time period it tries to evoke, it feels appropriate. It’s just another color choice, after all.

In a watch that’s full of vintage inspired details (I’m particularly fond of the red text of the date wheel, and the Milanese bracelet included as part of the limited edition package) there are some modern touches of note. The bezel is ceramic, and the ETA movement provides 80 hours of power reserve. Water resistance is to 100 meters, so not in the same league as many of the highest end modern divers, but it should be plenty for weekend recreation, casual diving, and just getting caught in the rain.

The new Captain Cook is limited to 1,962 pieces priced at $2,100, and it represents an attractive package from Rado. Two straps are included with the aforementioned bracelet, and it all comes in a leather pouch that has vintage vibes of its own. The antithesis of Rado’s experiments in space age materials, the Captain Cook would seem to be most at home with those who value a more tried and true, traditional aesthetic. Rado