Though perhaps less well known than its contemporaries from Rolex, Blancpain, and others, the Rado Captain Cook has a long and storied history.

It debuted in 1962, not a decade after Schlup & Co, a Swiss-founded watch company, began operating under the name Rado, which means ‘wheel’ in Esperanto. Original models are notable for their skin diver cases, concave bezels, and oversize ‘broad arrow’ handsets — hallmarks of the myriad, affordable dive watches that came to market in conjunction with the explosion in popularity of recreational SCUBA. 

Rado, which is today part of the Swatch Group, has since become a leader in materials innovation, developing watches made from ultra-robust ceramics and offering them in striking colors — something it’s able to do despite its mid-tier pricing. 

This particular Captain Cook is a High-Tech Ceramic variant from the 2020s. Housed in a 43mm ceramic and titanium case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, and a black ceramic unidirectional bezel, it features a super cool skeletonized dial with luminous, applied indices, a matching ‘broad arrow; handset, and an incredible view of the automatic movement beneath. Powered by the Rado Caliber R734 with an anti-magnetic Nivarchron hairspring and paired to a ceramic multi-link bracelet with a push-button deployant clasp, the package is finished off with a sapphire exhibition caseback.

Water resistant to 300m and constructed of some of the most advanced materials known to contemporary horology, this Captain Cook is a wildly cool take on a dive watch classic — and one you don’t want to miss.

Snag it while it lasts!