Tag Archives: Captain Cook

Rado’s Mastery of Their Past Paves the Way Forward for Their Future

Through a cursory glance at Rado’s catalogue, it is easy to mistakenly identify it as a relatively new brand. The watches on display are mostly imbued with ceramics, giving it a glossy demeanour signalling to the customer that these are modern, high-tech watches. While the watches of Rado are modern and made through high-technology processes, you would be surprised at just how much heritage can be revealed as soon as you scratch the surface. Well, technically speaking, most of the watches at Rado are near un-scratchable but you get the meaning. Beneath the glossy, ceramic veneer, lies a brand story that spans more than a hundred years, dating back to 1917.

It is surprising, isn’t it? that the story of Rado began that long ago. Put them beside any other watch brand that has been around for the same amount of time, and it is highly likely that their watches will look worlds apart. And this is because, ever since its founding, the brand has had a fascination with innovation. Their tagline sums it up “If we can imagine it, we can make it, and if we can make it, we will!” With such unrestrained creativity, it is no surprise that most of the watches to come out of Rado defy conventional watch shapes to produce avant-garde silhouettes. However, this is not to say that in moving forward, they have discarded their history entirely. In this story, we take a look at the latest addition to the Captain Cook collection which represents a prime example of how Rado’s past continues to guide their present, or as they put it – how their heritage masters their future.

Spirit of Innovation

Although not expressly stated, we think that Rado’s philosophy regarding constant innovation is deeply rooted within its origin story. Unlike most watch brands, Rado didn’t start as a brand. It was founded as the Schlup & Co. watchmaking factory by the brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner in 1917. In the beginning, they simply converted a part of their parent’s home in Lengnau, Switzerland into an atelier and through their industrious spirit, the trio began to grow their list of clients. By the end of the Second World War, they grew into one of the largest movement manufactures in the world. During this time, they assembled and finished watches primarily for the American market, and mostly for other brands. It wasn’t until the 1950s that they began manufacturing watches under the name Rado.

Establishing the business and growing it to the size that Rado managed, for sure required an innovative mindset. At the time, industrial processes were not as streamlined as it is today and so most likely every watch manufacture had to continuously evolve to create the most efficient processes. This mindset prevailed and when Rado started creating watches under its own brand name in the 1950s, it brought with them the same spirit of continuous improvement. A case in point is the Golden Horse collection in 1957 which brought with it a waterproof case for the first time, improving the usability of the watch. Then, in 1962 they debuted the very first Captain Cook watch which took water resistance to the next level.

It was also around this time that their search for better, more robust and scratch-resistant materials led them to hard metals like those found in the Diastar case. Their foray into the material sciences then continued to evolve throughout the 1980s and by the 1990s they arrived at what many would call, Rado’s signature element, ceramics.

Quest For Hardness

Rado’s foray and subsequent mastering of Ceramics can perhaps be attributed to the continuation of what they managed to achieve with the ultra-hard Diastar back in 1962. The impetus for this collection was to create a case that could not be scratched and today, ceramic is one of the materials that offers an even greater level of hardness. 1,250 Vickers of hardness to be precise and just as a comparison, stainless steel clocks in at about 180 Vickers.

Additionally, ceramic is also chemically inert and biocompatible, which means, the material is hypoallergenic and completely complementary to the human body. In fact, Zirconium oxide (ceramic) was once used to create the femoral cap in hip implants due to these exact properties. This biocompatibility is also perhaps one of the reasons why people often remark that ceramic feels like nothing else to the touch. It has a sort of silkiness that gives the wearer a feeling of extreme comfort on the wrist. Last but not least, ceramic also doesn’t discolour when exposed to ultraviolet light. Meaning that Rado’s ceramic watches will retain their vibrant colours throughout the watch’s entire lifetime.

With that being said, however, it is these fantastic properties of ceramic as a material that also make it incredibly difficult to work with. Especially in the watchmaking industry when production tolerances can sometimes come down to mere micrometres in deviation. Like all ceramics, zirconium oxide also begins as an ultra-fine powder and with its melting point at 2000°C special processes are needed to shape it into watch cases. You can’t melt the ceramic and pour it into moulds because most ceramics melt at temperatures higher than metal.

Achieving their title of “Master of Materials” took more than just a few years of research & development and investment from Rado. Throughout the years, they created and perfected their ceramic-making techniques. Today the Rado manufacture has machines for injection moulding, specialised formulas that can processes that produce ceramics in a wide array of colours, ovens that can sinter ceramics at extremely high temperatures over many hours, and even an oven designed to discharge gas activated by plasma at over 20,000°C.

Cooling Off

The Captain Cook collection is currently one of Rado’s most celebrated models and for good reason. It is bold and rugged, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a watch enthusiast who can pass up a great dive watch. The modern Captain Cook watches we see today were only relaunched relatively recently in 2017. Before that, the watch was discontinued and laid dormant in Rado’s archives for almost 40 years. This fantastic dive watch was first launched during the same year as the Diastar in 1962 and was created to address the growing number of recreational divers thanks to the improvements and widespread acceptance of scuba diving equipment.

As with most dive watches of the past, the Captain Cook watches also had a uni-directional rotating bezel that would help divers keep track of time during their dives. These bezels played such a pivotal role in diving that they soon became the defining characteristics of a dive watch. Of course, this design feature had to be complemented by an equally precise movement and great legibility for it to become a functional tool for divers. Then, in 1968, the Captain Cook was discontinued, and it was surprising that it took Rado nearly 50 years to resurrect this storied collection.

In 2017, inspired by the past, Captain Cook once again hoisted its sails and was re-released, this time for a different type of diver, the desk diver. Today, nearly half a century later, the role of a mechanical dive watch lies in the fulfilment of emotional appeal as opposed to functionality, as digital dive watches can simply do so much more. However, this is not to say that these dive watches are not functional. It is a testament to the luxury watch industry that even if dive watches like this Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton will probably not be worn while diving to extreme depths, it is fully capable of doing so. It still has the unidirectional bezel, a precise mechanical movement to ensure accurate timekeeping, fantastic legibility and most importantly a water resistance of up to 300m.

The Korean actor and singer, Ji Chang-Wook, is a brand ambassador for Rado

This watch is the perfect embodiment of how Rado uses its heritage to master its future. Because even as the watch takes its design from an intrinsic part of Rado’s history, these new Captain Cook watches have been given every update in Rado’s playbook. The most obvious of which is the high-tech ceramic case that bestows the Captain Cook with interesting colours not usually seen on dive watch cases. As with all Rado’s high-tech ceramic cases, this one also has the same scratch-proof properties which make it perfect considering the dive watch was created for more rugged use. The use of ceramic on a dive watch also provides one unexpected bonus, corrosion resistance. Saltwater is extremely harsh on materials and although stainless steel cases fare in the sea just as well, it doesn’t hurt to have this extra bit of assurance that the watch will stay as lovely as the day it came out of the box even with multiple dive excursions beneath the sea.

The first reference for Rado’s Captain Cook novelties for the year comes in a stunning version with a blue high-tech ceramic case for the first time. This blue high-tech ceramic case of the Captain Cook will also be paired with either a blue bezel for the core collection and a red or yellow bezel for the limited edition of 250 pieces worldwide. The version with the blue bezel will offer a matte blue ceramic case while the other two will come with a polished blue ceramic case. This isn’t your grandfather’s dive watch, that’s for sure. Its modern and conspicuous design language was made to suit those who like to make a statement with what they choose to put on their wrist. For instance, instead of a traditional three-link bracelet, Rado has decided to offer these watches with a more dynamic rubber strap, also in blue. And with fashion tipping towards the more casual end, the watch will most likely transition from the workday to a night out without a problem.

For those looking for a Captain Cook with a little more subtle case, there is also a version of the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton that will be available in an olive green colour. This reference was inspired by the world’s cities that have become a fair bit greener as compared to before. Thus, the green chosen for the watch is in a little bit of a darker hue and is paired with an extremely elegant PVD rose-gold detailing perfect for those ‘diving’ into an urban playground. Additionally, this version of the watch will also come with the signature ceramic three-link bracelet. And as mentioned before, with comfort being one of the benefits of using ceramic materials, this is now even more apparent through the use of a ceramic bracelet as it drapes effortlessly on the wrist of the wearer.

Compounding the complexity of these Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic models is also the skeletonised movement, the Calibre R808, fully revealed by the transparent dial. This movement is leagues beyond the calibre present in the first Captain Cook from 1962, bringing with it all the advancements in movement technology. The inclusion of a Nivachron™ hairspring within the calibre means that the watch is now resistant to magnetic fields and thanks to updates in the powertrain, the R808 is also capable of a massive 80 hours of power reserve. To ensure that the watch performs with the utmost precision, it has undergone accuracy adjustments in five different positions.

Struck Gold: Rado’s Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton Unearthed

 

As far as dive watches go, the Captain Cook from Rado often gets neglected when enthusiasts gather to discuss references from the past. After all, the watch was only made for about six years in the 1960s before it was discontinued. And it had no significant ties with military forces, as all the most prominent dive watches at the time seemed to have. All it had however is the name of the intrepid explorer James Cook on its dial accompanied by Rado’s famed anchor. But, as we will soon find out, Cook’s adventurous spirit and his embracing of the importance of science would create a ripple effect that extends to the present and bring Rado’s humble dive watch back into the folds of conversation among enthusiasts.

Since the rebirth of the Captain Cook collection in 2017, Rado has updated each successive generation with their latest watchmaking technologies. And as the collection grew, so did the boldness of its ideas. For 2023, the latest Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Skeleton has emerged out of the sea to showcase not only Rado’s technical side of watchmaking but also reinforce its status as a Master of Materials.

New World Exploration

To understand the Captain Cook at present, we must first dive into its past. Although the watches of Rado look as futuristic as watches come, its history actually dates back to 1917 when brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup converted part of their parent’s home into the base of operations for Schlup & Co. After the Second World War, they had become one of the largest producers of watch movements, all the while upholding the ‘Swiss-made’ quality standard. It was around then that they decided it was time to launch their own brand and thus, the name Rado was born, based on the Esperanto word for wheel.

As with all mechanical watches at the time, innovation was synonymous with necessity. And the first Rado-branded watch, the Golden Horse, was created in 1957 based on a water-resistant case construction. In 1962 the Rado Diastar was created with an ultra-resistant hard metal, earning it the title of the world’s first scratchproof watch. It was in this same year that the first Captain Cook debuted.

An advertisement featuring the name Rado circa 1952.

In the 1960s there was a steady uptake of recreational diving thanks to the invention of scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear like the Aqua-Lung by French engineer, Émile Gagnan, and the world-renowned explorer, Jacques Cousteau. To tap into this highly lucrative market, Rado created their own version of a dive watch, offering a timepiece with a greater level of water resistance and a timing bezel that was essential for divers to keep track of their dive times.

Back then, the accuracy of the timekeepers and the reliability of these bezels could mean the difference between life and death as it was used to keep track of decompression timers. Decompression is the act of taking breaks at specific depths so that the body has time to naturally dissipate the nitrogen that has seeped into the tissue from breathing the compressed air within the scuba tanks. If the timing is not adhered to, the nitrogen will expand as the outside pressure decreases creating bubbles in the joints, lungs, and/or spinal column which depending on the severity can be fatal.

Rado christened their dive watch collection after the legendary British explorer James Cook. Captain Cook was most known for his expeditions to the Pacific Oceans where he circumnavigated and mapped New Zealand. Cook was also revered for his navigational prowess relying on astronomy, and accurate marine chronometers to determine his position on the globe. Additionally, he often carried several scientists on his voyages allowing them to make significant observations and discoveries like the cataloguing of over 3,000 plant species during his first voyage in 1768 and on his second voyage, the artist William Hodges produced notable landscape paintings of Tahiti and Easter Islands.

The New Expedition

One of the hallmarks of a great design is that no matter how many years go by, its form and function remain relevant in the present. If you look at the first Rado Captain Cook launched in 1962, everything was designed to be both functional and beautiful at the same time. The hour markers contrast against the background, the hands are large and obvious, and even the Rado insignia freely rotates not just as an aesthetic choice but back then, it was also used as an indicator to tell you when the watch needed to be serviced. Additionally, some other identifying traits of the Rado Captain Cook collection are the bezel that is sloped inwards and the box-style crystal.

After the Captain Cook was discontinued in 1968 it spent a good 40-plus years in hibernation and in 2017, in a move that took most of the watch industry completely by surprise, they relaunched a new Captain Cook that looked almost identical to its predecessor. All of the design cues of the original were still there, updated with modern movements and a better-constructed case of course. But the one thing that really caught the attention of aficionados was the fact that Rado decided to keep the sizing at 37mm.

A small dive watch was nothing special in 1962 but in 2017, when trends were leaning towards oversized chunky watches (especially so in the dive watch category), the creation of a small and svelte option was one that found its niche set of customers. This smaller size was also ahead of the game at the time as only now other brands have started to gravitate towards reducing the size of their watch cases.

Master of Materials

Extremely high temperatures are needed to create the glossy finish on Rado’s ceramic cases.

With Rado’s reputation for manipulating the ultra-hard, scratchproof, corrosion-resistant, lightweight and hypoallergenic ceramic material, it would only make sense for them to incorporate this highly technical material into the Captain Cook collection. Various forms of ceramics have been around for thousands of years, however, unlike its rudimentary forms like vases and bowls, the ceramics used in Rado’s manufactures are lightyears away in terms of technology.

Rado’s High-Tech Ceramic material starts out as ultra-fine zirconium oxide powder with a grain size of approximately 0.001mm, 50 times smaller than the diameter of human hair. After it is mixed with a binding agent, it is injected into a mould at 1,000 bars of pressure. Next, it enters a sintering process where it goes into an incredibly high-temperature oven of 1450°C and over many hours, this ceramic fully hardens. Then, specially designed diamond tools are used to rework the end product to achieve the strict tolerances needed for the case to ensure the watch can be assembled perfectly and to keep the integrity of the water resistance rating. Interestingly the high-tech ceramic, when it was first created, was only available in black. It was only in 1993 that coloured ceramics became available.

Rado has been constantly perfecting and updating their ceramic manipulation technologies for more than 35 years now and they have brought the craft to a point where they are now able to precisely control the outcome of the materials down to the precise shade of colour or even a specific texture on the surface. A case in point is their plasma finishing where the high-tech ceramic is subjected to yet another high-temperature process to give the material a permanent metallic shade without the use of any metallic content.

Past Meets Present

Since the return of the Captain Cook collection in 2017, many variants have been added to its repertoire with each successive year. But this year, their latest reference seems to have taken all the brand’s savoire faire and combined it into a single, all-encompassing watch – the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton.

Let’s start with the case. From afar, the watch exudes all the design cues that identify it as a Captain Cook, the case shape, the sloping bezel, the arrow hour hand, and the box-style crystal are all there. However, it is only upon closer inspection that all the nuances of this fantastic timepiece become obvious. Firstly, the case is made entirely of plasma high-tech ceramic and its famed properties of extreme surface resistance. This makes it perfect for a dive watch that is usually worn in, shall we say, more adventurous situations. Additionally, the bezel and bracelet are also made from the same robust material.

For this reference, Rado chose a deep anthracite colour to represent the virile, primal forces of the mineral world. Various shades and finishing techniques are added to the case components to give the watch additional character. The matte finish of the monobloc case is contrasted visually with the circular brushed finish on the bezel insert. Even the bracelet offers centre links of a lighter shade and a glossy mirror finish for a more elegant look. Lastly, to give the watch that added pop of visual detail, the bezel is made in a rose-gold colour with matching bezel indicators.

As we dive deeper into this Captain Cook reference, the transparent dial offers an unbridled look into the new and improved skeletonised movement. The Calibre R808 skeleton has been reworked with a smart new geometry and the components are shaded in different tones to give it an architectural façade. The box-shaped sapphire crystal adds to this effect by increasing the visual depth, and to give all of it an air of mystery, the crystal has a lightly smoked tint. The movement itself is highly reliable with a Nivachron hairspring, offering unparalleled anti-magnetic properties. The power reserve for the movement is 80 hours which when fully wound will let the watch sit on a dresser over the weekend and still have more than enough juice to keep going when Monday rolls along.

Global Phenomenon

In tandem with the launch of the new Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton, they have also announced a new brand ambassador – Ji Chang-Wook. The popular South Korean is already a household name in his home country and with the K-wave hitting frenzied levels across the globe, Ji Chang-Wook is a name that clearly, most around the world are also familiar with.

Having got his start in the industry when he was just 20 years old, his fame sky-rocketed when he played a Korean-American speed skater in 2010’s Smile Again, which aired every weekday during prime time for 159 episodes. Since then, his acting career has also diversified with contemporary and historical characters across a broad range of film, television and web series formats. His versatility on screen is also mirrored in his ability to perfectly play an Emperor like in the drama Empress Ki or romantic roles like in Backstreet Rookie and Lovestruck in the City in the same convincing fashion.

“I have always been interested in Swiss watches, especially in unique designs and special materials, and I’m very happy to star in my new role as Brand Ambassador for Rado. The Captain Cook is such a beautiful watch, I look forward to wearing it whenever I can.” Comments Ji Chang-Wook.

In many ways, this Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton draws parallels to the brand’s South Korean ambassador. His diversified talent in multiple roles is similar to how the watch can fit into many daily roles. Designed with dive watch aesthetics, the Captain Cook is naturally rugged and fits casual dressing styles and yet, thanks to its unique grey and gold colour combination along with the polished centre links of the Plasma High-Tech Ceramic bracelet, the watch will look just at home in a suit or dinner jacket.

Even with his fame as an actor, Ji Chang-Wook doesn’t seem to be contented in just one realm of the entertainment industry. Despite being an award-winning actor, he still finds the time to actively dip his toe in the music industry. To date, he has appeared frequently in musicals and music videos and has even recorded a number of OSTs (Original Sound Tracks). For a man that seems like he wants to do it all, the watch is a perfect accompaniment to him, because through Rado’s constant pursuit of research and development when it comes to materials, the watch is created to withstand anything and everything life can throw at it. And the best part is, it does so with the utmost amount of style.

High-Tech Shine

Some watch brands are blessed with names that are well-known, even to people unfamiliar with timepieces. Others have a long and illustrious history, sharing names with major figures in history. Still others are so closely tied to sports or racing that they are virtually synonymous with their sponsorship activities. Indeed, we need not even list examples for any of the above because you probably know what we are talking about. It gets even more interesting – if a little esoteric — when a watchmaking brand is tied very closely to material innovation, as Rado is.

Chances are, if you have heard of Rado then you know that it is intricately tied to the use of ceramics in watchmaking. Those of you who take an interest in the history of watchmaking might also recall that Rado made what it called the world’s first scratchproof watch in 1962.
The DiaStar 1 was made of ultra-tough tungsten carbide, a material so difficult to work that it wore out the very tools that were used to make the cases. Crucially, the watch also introduced sapphire crystal. This marked the true beginning of the brand’s pioneering efforts in making scratch-resistant watches. The DiaStar 1 is typically included in horological milestones of the 20th century, but we are getting excited and racing ahead of ourselves.

For a brand with more than 100 years of history that is still active today, Rado is actually not that famous. To understand this, a trip through history is required, and this will take a little longer than our usual cover story jaunt. As far as WOW goes, it has been too long since we last went to the deep end of the pool with Rado watches to rediscover the history of the Lengnau-based brand. Happily, the Rado Captain Cook changed all that, thanks in part to the current demand for sports watches of all sorts. We published a little something on this last issue, and took a more leisurely look at the Captain Cook itself. To make a long story short, Rado is a brand on the up-and-up, with the Captain Cook watch the most visible symbol of its hard-won 21st century success.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Like many Swiss watch brands, the story does not begin this century. Indeed, Rado did not even begin life under that name in 1917. In that year, brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup founded the Schlup & Co. watch factory in Lengnau, Switzerland. Even Rado calls this a humble beginning, mostly because the atelier that housed Schlup & Co was a part of the Schlup family home.

Rado 1957 Golden Horse

An etabliseur focused on mechanical clock and watch movements, the firm did not make wristwatches under its own name. The Rado name first turns up in about 1937, with Schlup & Co. establishing a subsidiary named the Rado Watch Co. Ltd. It would take another 20 years for a watch to be created bearing the Rado name. This was the Golden Horse model of 1957, created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company; this was also the moment the firm itself began using the name. More specifically, it was Rado Uhren AG.

The original movement for the Golden Horse was from Adolph Schild and the water-resistant case was in steel. That water-resistance bit was timely and quite fitting, given that the “Horse” part of the name referred to a pair of seahorse appliques facing each other above the 6 o’clock position. Interestingly, Adolph Schild is today a part of ETA, which is part of the Swatch Group, as Rado is. In a way, it remains a family affair, but we digress.

ANCHORS AWAY

The Green Horse collection followed in 1958, marketed on its water resistance rating. This marked the first appearance of a now-familiar sight on Rado watches: the miniature rotating anchor below the 12 o’clock marker. Not only did this end up being the brand’s logo, but it also served to mark when any given watch was ready to be serviced. It was the first such mechanism on a wristwatch in the world. Basically, when the anchor no longer obeyed gravity but remained stationary, it was time to send the watch in for servicing. Do not worry too much if that anchor is not actually familiar to you; for those whose early experiences with Rado were watches from the 1980s, the anchor is not a factor. Today the anchor is present on all
automatic Rado watches.

The landmark DiaStar 1 from 1962

By 1959, Rado had a presence in more than 61 countries and was especially popular in Asia and the Middle East. Original wristwatches from that era are relatively easy to come by even today, showing the popularity of the brand. However, it is difficult to acquire authentic 1950s and 1960s timepieces that are in good condition, or have all their original parts according to Thomas Gronenthal, writing for the US edition of WatchTime in 2017.

Rado must have realised that its watches were seeing a lot of use because by 1962, it debuted the DiaStar 1 to cope with the unforgiving world of the modern working person. In the early days of the wristwatch, watchmakers used to bemoan the fact that their precious creations were being placed in the perfect position to receive maximum damage. No solution was found for decades, with the first tough dive watches only appearing the 1950s, to cite just one category of watches.

For Rado, the DiaStar 1 was a radical proposition, not just in the materials it deployed. Matching its toughness was an uncompromising oblong case shape, with a pronounced bezel that protected the face of the watch. It was a sign of the watches to come, and continues to influence the brand to this day. The DiaStar remains in production, currently under the name The Original, and Rado CEO Matthias Breschan confirms that it remains a strong seller for the brand, without much supporting advertising materials. Hodinkee reports that DiaStar 1 models that appear in sales today still retain the sheen they did when they debuted, so the use of superhard and effectively scratchproof materials has yielded positive results.

THE FUTURE SHAPES UP

Throughout the 1960s, Rado continued to produce watches with unusual and fashionable looks, many of which are now discontinued. These included the distinctive Manhattan and a variety of cushion-shaped watches, which could have been direct descendants of the DiaStar 1. The first of the now-famous gold-coloured DiaStar models appeared in 1972, and the Rado Dia 67 brought a new sense of minimalism to the brand with its edge-to-edge metalised sapphire crystal. In the 1980s, Rado hit a new high – now a part of the Swatch Group – with the Rado Integral watch. In 1986, the Integral watch brought high-tech ceramics to watchmaking and immediately received positive notices.

The world’s hardest watch, the V10k

It took serious work and investment to debut a new material in watchmaking for a company that produced many tens of thousands of products. No watch for Rado is simply a prospect for a select few so the integrity of any new development is key. Besides large-scale production, the other issue was just how much ceramic was in play. Not only was the case of the Integral in ceramic but so was the bracelet. Adding even more complexity here was the decision to use bi-colour ceramics – adding pigments into the mix can alter the strength of the final product, or cause production issues since it will have marginally different properties than ceramics without the colouring elements.

For the design of the watch, Rado really hit it out of the park. Generations of watch collectors came to define Rado by the way the Integral looked – black with the high shine of jewellery.
Understandably for the times, the Integral was a quartz watch through-and-through; the dimensions of the watch would require an ultrathin movement, which would have bumped up prices significantly. They still would. As it stood then, the watch was a paragon of the Swatch Group value proposition, boasting high production values for a very reasonable price.

BEYOND WHAT IS INTEGRAL

Rado definitely recognised that it had a winner on its hands; Breschan tells us that the brand even decided at that point that it would commit to including ceramic across the board, shelving any project that could not be executed in the material. A dive watch such as the Captain Cook, long out of production anyway, would have been out of the question as a result. Nevertheless, Rado knew that it could not only live on the terms of the Integral.

The Integral model of 1986 defined Rado for a generation

The next move came in 1991, with a white ceramic model called the Coupole; this was the world’s first white ceramic watch. Future innovations in ceramic were forthcoming, as detailed in our sidebar, and included contemporary Rado staples such as the Sintra and the Ceramica. It culminated in 2002 with the launch of the V10k, which took scratch-resistance to a new level. The watch was coated with a layer of artificial nanocrystalline diamond, giving it a hardness of 10,000 Vickers. It is still the world’s hardest watch.

The world’s first white ceramic watch, the Coupole

This brings us squarely (no pun intended) into the contemporary era, because Rado changed tacks soon after the V10K. The challenge now was to find ways to work with new shapes, and do the sorts of things that limited the brand in the 1980s. Plenty of other brands were now using ceramic, including many in the Swatch Group that were of an altogether different class. The adoption of high-tech ceramic by brands such as Omega and Blancpain was actually a boon for Rado, which began paying dividends in the unidirectional bezel characteristic of dive watches. Here was a game where the Captain Cook watch was already well-positioned to perform well. At the same time, Rado was already working on colour solutions for its admittedly limited palette.

O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

When the vintage trend took hold at most brands after the financial crisis of 2008, Rado found it had the right watch to capture the public’s interest. When the sports watch trend really took off four years ago, the Captain Cook was no longer the right watch – it was perfect. So Rado struck in 2017 with a pitch-perfect reissue of the watch – down to the 37mm size – that surprised everyone who still saw Rado as the maker of shiny black watches. The new HyperChrome Captain Cook was an immediate hit, with collectors clamouring for a larger size. Rado not only obliged with its own oversized version at 45mm, but also with a 42mm crowd-pleaser that dropped the HyperChrome name.

Rado Captain Cook Automatic

This is the version of the Captain Cook that finds itself on the cover, and is the focal point of Rado’s press and marketing communications. To our minds, the version of this watch on a steel bracelet at $2,800 is not only the watch for the current moment but one you could easily wear as your daily beater. With Rado’s EasyClip band system, you could swap out that beads-of-rice hybrid bracelet without a second thought and go with a leather strap. No matter the version though, all models sport a unidirectional bezel in high-tech ceramic.

Do note that the two versions at 42mm with bracelet are quite different, not only in the nature of the bracelet but also in terms of price ($2,940) due to the water-resistance (200 metres vs 300 metres). There is also a limited edition (999 pieces) that comes with both fabric and bracelet as a package, priced at $3,230, and now a bronze version with only a leather strap that is not limited, priced at $3,530. Significantly, this bronze watch is the first Rado watch to ever be offered in bronze. It is also the first such watch in this material from Swatch Group, which is quite the coup for the Lengnau brand.

As far as colourways go, Rado has deployed its expertise here to offer several variants for the Captain Cook bezel, which are matched by the dials. You can discover more on that in our Cover Watch section because we have to abruptly change gears to move the spotlight to the True Thinline collection. This is where Rado’s ability to offer ceramic in different colours comes into play.

THIS MUCH IS TRUE

Finding this much colour in a Rado collection is truly unexpected, and does bring to mind the same surprise factor when the Captain Cook watch debuted. Rado goes all-in on bright hues, citing Le Corbusier’s colour theory, which is pretty gutsy for a brand with its reputation. The new True Thinline watches are a testament to both Rado’s expertise with high-tech ceramic and its design acumen. In this story, we are looking at the standard True Thinline, and the True Thinline Les Colours Le Corbusier. Briefly, there are nine watches in this brand new collection that reference 63 colours, and four of them pepper these pages. Each one of the nine models is limited to 999 pieces.

Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier

Now, there is nothing new here so you need not wonder if you missed anything, if this series already grabbed your attention. It might be worth considering though if the True Thinline will have the same stature as the Captain Cook, given that both include important milestones for Rado.

To dig into it a little, the True Thinline Corbusier models exhibit a sense of playfulness and dynamism not seen elsewhere. The ultrathin 5mm cases are of the usual Rado monobloc standard, and the bracelets are highly wearable. Interestingly, Rado positions the limited edition as a unisex offering, while the standard True Thinline is meant for ladies. Looking at all of them together, it seems they could work for either gender; it really depends only on taste. The True Thinline collection is one of those recent offerings that inspired our polemic against gendered watches this issue, and this is yet another reason the entire collection might be important to take note of.

Indeed, the key take-away for watch specialists with the True Thinline Corbusier models is what they might mean for other Rado collections. Shall we expect to see an Integral in the same shade of Powerful Orange, or perhaps a bezel in Sunshine Yellow for the Captain Cook? How about a Ceramica entirely in Spectacular Ultramarine? It is certainly too early to tell, and once more is more dependant on taste than any technical constraint. If this brighter future does happen, then it will all have started with the True Thinline Les Colours Le Corbusier.

THE HARD WAY

The ceramics as used by Rado set the standard for the entire industry, so we should devote a little time to see how things work, generally speaking. It all begins with very finely powdered zirconium oxide, aluminium oxide or titanium carbide. Each grain measures only about 1/1000mm in diameter, which is about one fifth the thickness of a human hair. The powder is pressed into appropriately shaped moulds and then fired at 1,450 degrees C inside a sinter furnace. Here it condenses and emerges as scratch-resistant ceramic components, although shrinkage sometimes occurs.

Rado True Thinline Nature

The ceramic components for Rado watches are produced for it by Comadur, the Swatch Group company that also supplies the sapphire crystals for all Swatch Group brands. The colour agent added to the mix is an extremely pure oxide that is able to achieve a broad range of colours. Things are always improving on this front, with the Rado True Thinline currently reflecting the maximum of what is possible today with coloured ceramic materials for watches. The definitive shine of ceramic is a product of polishing with diamond dust. Interestingly, the tungsten carbide that Rado once used for the DiaStar 1 is recognised as an advanced ceramic material; Rado, for its part, classifies this as a ‘Hard Metal’ and introduces it as such on its website.

MASTER OF MATERIALS

Rado calls itself the Master of Materials, and it would not be able to do this if ceramics were the entire picture. Actually, there are loads of different ceramics and Rado devotes its expertise to several, in its own words.

Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier

High Tech Ceramic – Equal parts art and science, high-tech ceramic has been a part of the Rado story for decades. This lightweight material is scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic, and can take on matte and polished finishes.

Plasma High Tech Ceramic – This material delivers a paradoxically warm and metallic shimmer, without any metals in the mix. It is used in the HyperChrome and DiaMaster collections. Ceramos – Unlike the other ceramics described here, this one is a 90:10 blend of metal and ceramic. It is mostly found in the DiaMaster collection.