The Rado Captain Cook lineup first hit the scene in 1962, and was produced for six years. Then, it took a sizable nap until the brand brought it back in 2017. For 2019, it’s going back to it’s roots, in a very literal sense. By that, I mean that the newest Rado Captain Cook is very much like the original.

What captured me with the new Rado Captain Cook is it’s case size. At 37mm it would be considered small, or uni-sex, by today’s standards. However, it is the size that the watch was introduced at, and as I’ve come to appreciate over the past year or two, a more compact case size can certainly be rather viable and comfortable. That’s not the only nod to the past.

For starters, how about that dial color? The brand labels it as a sunbrushed brown, and to me (at least from the photos) there’s a hint of green in there. Regardless, this is a color that the brand found on a dial of a watch in their archives. So, nod to the past. There’s another hiding in the dial as well, right behind the anchor. Behind that spinning anchor (how Rado denotes all its automatic models) is a synthetic ruby. This is something the brand did back in ’62, and stopped at some point. Well, now it’s back.

Of course, the overall look and feel of the Rado Captain Cook is very vintage as well. Sizing, coloration, even the oddly paired (but somehow quite fetching) handset, all screams out that this is a watch of yesteryear. Fortunately, it also comes with the updates of modern technology, including a sapphire crystal and an 80-hour power reserve on the movement. For each of the 1,962 examples being built, they’ll carry a price tag of $2,100. This is a heritage pull that I rather like, and we’re on the list should any review loaners shake free on this. Definitely looks like a fun one to see in the steel. rado.com

Watch Overview

  • Brand & Model: Rado Captain Cook
  • Price: $2,100
  • Who’s it for? 
  • Would I wear it?
  • What I’d change:
  • The best thing about it:

Tech Specs from Rado

  • Ref. 763.0500.3.131
  • Movement: ETA C07.611, automatic, 25 jewels, 3 hands, red printed date at 3 o’clock, up to 80 hours power reserve
  • Case:
    • Polished stainless steel case
    • Black high-tech ceramic insert engraved and coated, fixed in a stainless steel turning bezel
    • Polished stainless steel case back with 3 stamped seahorses polished stainless steel crown
    • Box shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides water-resistant to 10 bar (100m)
    • Special engraving on case back: LIMITED EDITION ONE OUT OF 1962
  • Dial
    • Brown sunbrushed
    • Printed indexes with vintage look coloured Super-LumiNova®
    • Large rhodium coloured moving anchor symbol with red background
    • Silver coloured printed Captain Cook, Rado and Automatic logos
  • Hands : brown vintage look leather with stainless steel pin buckle additional
  • Strap/Bracelet
    • Milanese stainless steel bracelet with stainless steel pin buckle
    • Additional green NATO strap with stainless steel pin buckle
  • Accessories: brown leather Rado-branded travel pouch with additional strap and bracelet and strap changing tool
  • Dimensions: 37.0 x 40.6 x 14.3 (WxLxH in mm)

Categorized in:

Automatic, Featured, New Models, Over $1000, Rado, Vintage,

Last Update: March 15, 2019

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