Hands-On With The New Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph: The Brand’s First Ceramic-Cased Captain Cook Chrono
The names are the same, but the looks are very different. A hands-on experience with the new Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph revealed strong similarities between the black-and-rose-tone model and its green sibling made of plasma high-tech ceramic. With a matte black ceramic case adorned with a rose-gold-colored PVD-coated steel turning bezel, the chronograph version of the Captain Cook looks metropolitan. Dark green is a new color for the collection, though, and it gives the scratch-resistant timepiece a more outdoorsy vibe. Previously, a Captain Cook chrono was only available with a steel case and two counters. Now we see the debut of two three-counter models with ceramic cases in the best Rado tradition.
Essentially, they are the same, but they “dress” completely differently — the new Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph debuts in two distinct versions. But the matte black ceramic iteration with a touch of suave pink-gold-colored PVD (ref. R32190153) and the dominantly dark green version (ref. R32189313) do have a few things in common. That’s where we will start.
Hands-on with the new Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph
Inside both versions of the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph, Rado put the caliber R801. Based on the ETA A31, this automatic movement is an evolutionary version of the reputable ETA 2894. Rado put a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module on top of the movement to turn it into a chronograph. It beats at a 4Hz frequency, features an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring, and has a power reserve of 59 hours when fully wound. The 37-jewel movement measures 28.6 × 6.6mm, and its base functions include hours, minutes, small seconds, and a date indication.
As for the chronograph functions, they start with central elapsed seconds and a 30-minute counter. Previous Captain Cook chronographs had a two-counter layout with a date window in the style/shape of the indexes at 6 o’clock. These two newcomers, however, also have a third sub-dial at 6, incorporating the red date on a white background and the chronograph’s 12-hour counter. Adding the latter gives the watch a more contemporary look than its rather retro two-counter counterparts.
Both iterations show printed white Rado and Captain Cook logos and “300m / 1000ft” wording on the dial. The hour and minute hands hover above the hour indexes, which are finished with white Super-LumiNova for readability, just like the hands. The chronograph hands for elapsed seconds, minutes, and hours each have a red tip to simplify identification. Rado’s moving anchor symbol at 12 o’clock is a familiar sight. It rotates on a synthetic ruby backplate. Around the edge of the dial is a subtle minute track, and surrounding that is a unidirectional 60-minute bezel with engraved and lume-filled markings.
The case of Captain Cook
Although not the same color, both new Captain Cook iterations are the same size. The watches have a 43 × 49.8 × 16.2mm high-tech ceramic case with a 300m depth rating. More common features are the ceramic bezel insert and three-row bracelet, a screw-down crown and two screw-down chronograph pushers, and a box-type sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating on both sides.
The opulent Captain Cook in black and rose
The black and rose-tone Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph offers a high-end look with big-city vibes. The watch has a polished ceramic bezel insert and polished center links in the bracelet, contrasting with a matte ceramic case and outer bracelet links. You open and close the bracelet with a titanium butterfly clasp. Because of the use of ceramic, it is no surprise that both watches feel light, “warm,” and even silky soft. Additional soft and even rich-looking details are the rose-gold-colored bezel rim, hands, indexes, crown, and pushers.
The deep black dial holds the polished rose-tone applied indexes with white Super-LumiNova, and there’s also a polished rose-gold-colored PVD-coated rotating anchor symbol on it.
The outdoorsy green-dialed Captain Cook
Spending time in a plasma oven hotter than the Sun caused the ceramic of the green-dialed version to show a silvery gray metallic hue. This hue matches the steel bezel, crown, pushers, and the rhodium-colored hands and indexes. Pairing the gray ceramic base with a polished dark green ceramic bezel insert and a deep green dial created an outdoorsy look. Like its black sibling, the green chronograph has a titanium case back with a sapphire crystal that lets you observe the automatic movement.
Wearing both versions of the new Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph
It’s a bit cliché to state that a watch wears bigger or smaller than it is. I will still state this anyway in the case of the two new versions of the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph. The 43 × 49.8 × 16.2mm watches belong in the Size L section. Yet, because of the lightweight ceramic, the watches weigh around 160 easy-to-wear grams, which also positively impacts how big they feel on the wrist. On my 18cm (7.1″) wrist, despite the quite sizable case length, they’re not too big.
Another cliché is that wearing black makes you look slimmer. This also applies to watches. A black watch seems smaller than it is, and the 43mm black Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph indeed wears smaller based on its weight and looks. You may ask, “How much smaller? Like a 41 or even 40mm watch?” I don’t dare put a number on it, though. Maybe you should go and give it a try for yourself.
If you are considering a trip to the Rado dealer, you should also know that the black Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph ref. R32190153 costs €6,500 / CHF 5,700 / £5,500 / US$6,250, and the green ref. R32189313 goes for €6,450 / CHF 5,600 / £5,450 / US$6,200. Let us know what you make of these two ceramic chronographs from Rado in the comments below.
