Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. New Gradient Dials For The Rado Captain Cook 39mm
Taking to the seas in a 39mm vessel with gradient dials puts wind in Captain Cook’s sails.
It’s fair to say that genuine horological novelties, in the form of complications and new collections, have given way to a more trend-oriented approach in the watch industry. Riding the wave, many brands revisit popular collections in more compact case dimensions and different materials, treating the dials to seasonal colours. Rado’s Captain Cook, the brand’s robust water-resistant dive watch launched in 1962, has followed the formula since its resuscitation in 2017. Making hay while the summer sun shines, Rado expands its recent 39mm-sized Captain Cook with two different ceramic bezel colours and dials designed to evoke maritime adventures.
Although this is the first 39mm Captain Cook to join the permanent collection, a limited-edition Tennis model was teased just two weeks ago. Now official, the new 39mm case size sits alongside the regular 42mm and 37mm stainless steel crew members currently in the collection (the ceramic models and chronographs have larger 43mm cases). The rugged 39mm stainless steel case, measuring a fairly contained thickness of 12mm, features a screw-down crown and caseback, and can withstand depths of 300 metres. The external dive bezel features a polished high-tech ceramic insert, one of Rado’s core competencies. Available in light blue with silver metallised markings or black ceramic with white Super-LumiNova, the 120-click bezel is unidirectional. To recreate the look of the original’s acrylic glass, the dial is protected by a box-shaped sapphire crystal.
The attractive domed dials are offered in a gradient turquoise colour, transitioning from a more intense shade on the periphery to a lighter silvery blue shade in the centre, and a gradient black dial that fades to a watery greenish-blue colour. Perpetuating the features of its 1962 ancestor, the hour hand has a large, luminescent arrow-shaped tip, the date window with a white background and red numerals is at 3 o’clock – minus the cyclops lens – and the pivoting anchor, originally used to indicate when the watch needed servicing, is placed on the dial at noon. Although the indices match the shape of the 1962 model, they are applied and treated with blue-emission Super-LumiNova.
Further underscoring its vintage character, the watches are fitted with polished steel beads-of-rice bracelets. However, the calibre R763 automatic movement (Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80) is contemporary with an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring and an extended 80-hour power reserve. The new Captain Cook 39mm references retail for CHF 2,200.
More information at rado.com.
