The last time we were talking to you about a summer-ready watch, it was a version of the Rado True Square Skeleton (you can see that here). That’s not the only summery style that they released, and we got to spend some time with what we’re calling the Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition. Sure, summer is gone now, but why not carry some warmth into the shorter days ahead?
Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition: what it is
Technically, this is the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton Limited Edition. That’s a mouthful, though, and this color combo of a sunny bezel set over a watery blue case, well, that feels like summer. So we’re calling it the Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition.
If you’re familiar with the Captain Cook, this watch is going to look familiar. The Captain Cook design originally hails from 1962, so you’ve got a definite vintage feel going on here. Of course, we’re 60+ years down the road, so there’s a lot of improvements in terms of fit-and-finish and materials since then, and the watch doesn’t feel like an old one that you need to baby.
This is a dive watch (carrying a 300m WR rating), so that means that it’s a tool that’s meant to be used. Across the line, you’ll see that the dive bezel is present, and that you’ve got an oversized arrow for the hour hand to keep it distinct from the minute hand, should you be tracking dive times.
The movement inside
Through the open dial of the Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition (and the exhibition caseback), you get a solid view of the Rado R808 movement. It’s skeletonized so you can see more of the bits and pieces, and there’s no hidden or removed date wheel here. In other words, it was designed without a date, which means the crown doesn’t go to a phantom position that doesn’t do anything.
What’s going to be of note is the fact that the movement carries an 80-hour power reserve, which is quite nice if you find yourself rotating between a few watches. With the Nivachron spring, it should be fairly resistant to influence from magnetic sources, helping to keep the watch accurate.
Wearing the Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition
As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Myself, I tend to veer away from open dials and skeletonized movements now, as they tend to make for a mess of reading the time. Fortunately, this watch does not have this problem. The oversized handset as well as the lume-filled indices stand out crisply against the movement, which meant I never had a problem picking out the time.
This version comes paired to a rubber strap which has a ceramic deployant clasp. In an otherwise solid design, the clasp was the one fly in the ointment for me. Yes, having the ceramic there is a testament to Rado’s confidence in the durability of the material. That said, it added extra bulk under your wrist that can get uncomfortable. Yes, this is largely a matter of preference, I get that. Having an option to swap in a standard buckle (steel or ceramic) though would definitely elevate things in our book.
That all said, that was the only issue we ran into with the watch (and we should note, the slider built into the clasp does make getting the watch on and off a breeze). It was a great piece, and the bold dual-color design worked just as well with a suit as it did heading into the office. It’s a versatile piece, and sure, if you need to actually time something, you could do just that with the diver bezel.
Wrapping things up
If you want to get your own, this particular version commands a price of $4,450, while other colorful variants run from $4,100 – $4,400 (and others in the collection are even more affordable). To get all the details, and figure out where you can get your own, head on over to rado.com
Rado Captain Cook Summer Edition Tech Specs
- General
- Engravable: No
- Product name: Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton Limited Edition
- SKU: R32152208
- Gender: Men
- Movement
- Movement Type: Automatic
- Movement Power Reserve: 80 hours
- Movement Reference: 03.808.062
- Case
- Case Materials: High-Tech Ceramic
- Case Thickness: 14.6 mm
- Case Water Resistance: 30 bar (300 m)
- Case Dimension: 43.0 mm
- Case Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides
- Dial
- Dial Colour: Blue
- Dial Has Date: No
- Dial Has Jewels: No
- Mother Of Pearl: No
- Bracelet
- Bracelet Materials: Caoutchouc / Rubber, High-Tech Ceramic
