Rado Bronze Captain Cook, now with a Burgundy dial

The bold original colors of Rado’s cool bronze diver.

Since 2017, Rado has found a market in fashionable vintage watches with its successful Captain Cook model. Rado is largely related to the use of high-tech ceramics. It also benefits from its long history and has reintroduced several historically significant watches. Inspired by the unique case/bezel design of the work in 1962, Captain Cook released several iterations, such as the compact 37mm limited edition, and recently released some enlarged but very attractive bronze versions. In addition to the green, gray/brown and blue models, Rado today also released a new eye-catching version: Captain Cook Bronze Captain Burgundy.

As this article explained on the previous Captain Cook bronze watch, the watch was inspired by a glorious and remarkable watch produced by the brand during the golden age of diving watches. The watch was released in 1962 with a 37 mm case and was named after the British explorer Captain Cook. Technically classic (automatic movement, 220m water resistance, date and time display, 60-minute diving bezel), this design really makes this model unique. It has an original combination of curved shapes with a bowl-shaped, concave inwardly inclined bezel, a dome-shaped crystal and a dome-shaped dial. The dial stands out for its brushed gray surface, large lacquered hour markers and arrow-shaped minute hands. Finally, there is an important little detail, at 12 o’clock there is a rotating anchor logo-a pendulum used to animate the dial.

All these elements were reinvigorated in 2017 with the first redefinition of Captain Rado Cook and all the watches in the subsequent series. Earlier this year, Rado introduced its retro-style diver into an attractive and trendy sub-series, which consists of three bronze models, colored dials and bezels. Of course, the latter is made of ceramic . At the end of this year, the series added a striking golden bronze case, burgundy dial and bezel.

The three existing models (blue, green or gray/brown) are quite subtle in terms of color. Although the previous models mainly played in cool dark colors, the new Burgundy version is undoubtedly the most eye-catching of the four, bringing brightness and warmth to the work. In addition, the combination of Burgundy red wine with the golden tone of the bronze case and dial is cool and novel. Please note that with the passage of time, the case will inevitably appear bronze and the color will darken, so make this watch more cautious.

To add the final touch to this eye-catching color scheme, Rado equipped its Captain Cook Bronze Burgundy team with a matching NATO textile strap with a golden central stripe in burgundy. The buckle and buckle are made of brushed bronze.

In addition to the new brushed dial and red ceramic bezel, Captain Cook’s bronze burgundy glass still maintains the same specifications. The shell is made of CuAl bronze alloy (more stable than traditional bronze alloy), with a diameter of 42mm and a height of 12.5mm. Its surface is mostly coated with sharp edges, which contrasts sharply with the curved shape of the dial and bezel. It is equipped with a sturdy titanium back cover, and the watch is waterproof to 300m.

Except for the color, the dial is the same as all Captain Cook watches. The dial is frosted with daylight and the hemispherical outline adds depth. The hands and applied index are gold, and the date wheel now has red numbers. The iconic rotating “pendulum” anchor symbol with a rotating ruby ​​backplate moves in accordance with the movement of the wearer’s wrist.

The powerful power of this fashion watch is the ETA C07 movement, also known as Powermatic in other Swatch Group brands. This development of ETA 2824-2 will become the group’s new standard engine and provide a strong competitive advantage in this highly competitive price range. After a redesigned power chain and a lower 3Hz frequency, the power reserve can be increased to 80 hours-equivalent to more than 3 days, while most watches in this range have a power reserve of less than 40 hours.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – RADO CAPTAIN COOK BRONZE BURGUNDY

Case: 42mm diameter x 12.5mm height – 48.6mm lug-to-lug – bronze (CuAl alloy) case, brushed – bronze (CuAl) bezel, unidirectional burgundy red polished ceramic insert with laser engraved/metallised numbers and markers – box sapphire crystal – screwed caseback in titanium – screw-down crown – 300m water-resistant

Dial: domed and sunray-brushed dial in burgundy red – applied gold-coloured indexes and hands with vintage coloured Super-LumiNova
gold-coloured moving anchor symbol with synthetic ruby backplate

Movement: ETA C07 (Powermatic) – automatic – 25 jewels – 21,600 vibrations/hour – 80h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date

Strap: burgundy textile NATO style strap with a central golden stripe – brushed bronze (CuAl) pin buckle and loops

Reference: 01.763.0504.3.340