As covered previously, heritage re-issues are tricky; But at Baselworld 2017, skillful interpretation of beloved vintage watches was on full display especially when it came to the Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook.

Due respect to your Seamasters and Sea-Dwellers but seriously, the best diving watch is the one you can afford to take with you to those hazardous depths, after all, if you fear to tread these territories with a pricey diver’s watch, how likely are you to wear it as you’re headed to the abyss?

Easily the Best Affordable Diving Watch: Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook

Swiss watchmaker Rado carries the flag of competent retro revival with the relaunch of its vintage Captain Cook collection. The new HyperChrome Captain Cook collection recalls the swagger of 1960s dive watches with a trio of retro-aesthetic, unisex timepieces.

Named for 18th century British explorer Captain James Cook, the namesake HyperChrome divers’ watch carries the association of a pioneer adventurer who charted thousands of miles of unexplored Pacific coastline. In that sense, Cook embodied the ideals of Da Vinci’s vitruvian man with his relentless pursuit of knowledge on a wide variety of academic topics including anthropology and astronomy; as a result, by the transitive powers of association, an owner of the new Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook gets recognition for a personal ethos aligned with the enigmatic captain.

With faithful homage of design cues from Rado’s 1960s best selling diver’s watch, the HyperChrome conveys bezel and case aesthetics reminiscent of another famous diving watch without the corresponding price tag – the result is a 37.3mm new HyperChrome Captain Cook which hits all the right spots for a heritage re-issue. Vintage styling meets modern technology thanks to the high-tech black ceramic insert within the uni-directional turning bezel.

Furthermore, the apparent dome shaped crystal appears at first blush to be plexi-glass (like the sort found on the Omega Speedmaster) but it’s really modern sapphire crystal for durability.

In terms of dial design, oversized indexes and a distinctive chunky arrow-shaped hour hand really sell the retro-appeal of Rado’s new HyperChrome Captain Cook. while minute rail markers on the rehaut on the periphery keep the dial from being too cluttered.