Rado has been killing it recently. Rather than obsessing over futuristic ceramic to the point of insanity, they’ve decided to do what any good brand in creative crisis does and raided their archives. The result? Last year’s awesome Captain Cook re-issue – and now we have the cooler, modern version, the MKIII.
It hasn’t lost any of its original 1960s charm of course – if it did it wouldn’t be the Captain Cook – but it has changed the original, functional black and steel colourway for a funkier, more modern aesthetic. The yellow’s not too bold and only covers a quarter of the dial (another nice touch), but it’s enough to aesthetically separate this from its vintage re-issue kin.
It differs slightly in materials too, making it a touch more practical. The twin crowns are PVD coated for a touch more durability and the case is now in Grade 5 titanium rather than steel. That’s a good thing too, because at nearly 47mm the case would be pretty damn weighty otherwise. Yep. It’s a lot of watch. If you were expecting the little 37mm version, you’d best go back to last year’s.
The movement isn’t your standard ETA, though it’s certainly not in-house. The frequency (how quickly it beats) has been significantly reduced which in turn lowers accuracy over time. Why’s that a good thing? Because it also ups the power reserve to an impressive 80 hours. Given that it’s only when it winds down you’ll get accuracy problems, that’s a fair trade.
Last year was the Captain Cook’s year; it was Rado’s crowning achievement for a good long while and put them on the road to archival-inspired success. This latest version may still be faithful to the vintage version, but with it’s more modern look and feel might well be the future of Rado.
At least it’s not ceramic.
Price & Specs:
- Model name: Rado Tradition Captain Cook MKIII Automatic
- Dial/case: 46.8 x 48.3mm diameter, grade 5 titanium with a screw-down titanium caseback engraved with three seahorses
- Movement: ETA C07.621, automatic movement
Water resistance: 220m - Power reserve: 80h
Price: $2,550
Available in October on Rado’s website.
