Rado Captain Cook 42 mm Automatic Green with Bracelet Reference R32505313 - Green Goodness, A Review (plus Video)

Rado started as The Schlup & Co. in Lengnau, Switzerland. It was founded by the brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner in 1917. The company began selling watches under the Rado brand name in the 1950s. After coming out with a number of iconic series such as the Golden Horse collection (1957) and the Green Horse collection (1958), the company came out with its first proper dive watch collection, the Captain Cook series. From 1962 to 1968 Rado produced the Captain Cook series with a patented case capable of 200 meters of water resistance.

Rado reintroduced their iconic Captain Cook line in 2017 with an reproduction. That model was very close to the original in terms of size (37 mm wide), material (steel) as well as the small touches like the red numerals on the date wheel and spinning anchor in the logo present at 12 o'clock. The watch also came with Old Radium SuperLuminova paint to complete the vintage look. Nevertheless, Rado did distinguish the new from the old with "HYPERCHROME" added to the name.  At the same time, a bigger brother, 45 mm wide and made out of titanium was also offered.



I have a spacial fondness for dive watches. My first Rado was the Diastar Diver Automatic Model R12639023 which I bought in late 2014. When the revised Captain Cook line was launched, it did not twitched my interest primary due to the size. Granted, I do own some huge dive watches before but by that time, I mellowed and size has become a key criteria for the collection (not too big, not too small). I am more inclined to go for watches in the 40 mm to 42 mm range.

Promo photo taken from Rado's website

In 2019, Rado launched a new Captain Cook line with a well-balance 42 mm wide casing. This new edition has been given the word "AUTOMATIC" as part of its official name. The new 42 mm models comes in various colours and can be categorised (at the point of this review) into 8 distinct sub-groups (for more about this, please refer to the section about series at the end of this review). The most striking model is the green edition with bead-rice bracelet. This model has also been chosen as the poster-boy for this new line. It is only in March 2020 that I decided to get this particular piece. Got a good deal for it.

The design and the colour green compliments each other. I love the colour green. Although there are two choices if I wanted a green watch with bracelet, the 200 meter version (R32505313) or the 300 meter version (R32105313), I chose the former as I like the look of the bead-rice bracelet over the more typical oyster bracelet for the latter.

The Watch

For me, Rado was a brand in the forefront of using exotic materials for their watches. On my Diastar Diver Automatic Model R12639023 there were three major types of metal used; tungsten-carbide, stainless steel and titanium. Nonetheless, ceramic has been the material of choice as case material for Rado for many years. Rado has been synonymous with scratch resistance timepieces.


In recent times, Rado (under the Swatch Group) have started to introduce models that uses more traditional materials such as stainless steel for the casing. For me, this is a slight departure from what I have always envisage Rado to be.

The Rado Captain Cook 42 mm Automatic Green with Bracelet Reference R32505313 (let's call it Captain Cook Green) is a contemporary designed branded dive watch with typical specifications such as stainless steel casing and bracelet, sapphire crystal and ceramic inserts for the bezel. The watch is 42.0 mm across, 49.0 mm lug-to-lug, 20.0 mm lug width and thickness of 12.1 mm. The overall weight is approximately 137 gm.

Since, this watch is made by Rado to represent an older model from the brand, it is generally defined as a re-issued, re-interpretation or re-crafted timepiece. For all intends and purposes, this is a homage. The original dimension of the 1962 Captain Cook was 35.5 mm. My personal benchmark to distinguish a homage from a non-homage is that the homage should not exceed more than 20% of the original dimensions. If it does, I don't accept any timepiece as a homage even if the manufacturer says so. In this case, at 42 mm, since the Captain Cook Green is just 18.3% wider than the original, I can accept this model as a homage.

An original 1962 Rado Captain Cook (picture taken from https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-rado-captain-cook-diver/. Only 8,000 pieces were made. It has a non-standard water rating of 22 ATM or 220 meters. The crystal is domed acrylic and it has a magnifier for the date aperture.

The Dial

The dial on the Captain Cook Green is painted using the fume treatment with a nice metallic emerald green sheen. The dial on this watch has been rendered beautifully. It starts with a lighter tone at the center and gradually darkens at the dial edge. It is a visual masterpiece.



The sloping chapter ring is polished and marked by black lines to denote minutes. Apart from this minute scale is the primary hour hour markers painted in Superluminova Green which is white in the light and green when luminous. Although the date aperture is located at 3 o'clock, Rado did not replace the marker completely. Instead, a smaller truncated marker was allocated for 3 o'clock.

The broad arrow handset is polished. The arrow heads on the hours hand and the seconds hand as well as practically the whole front section of the minutes hand are also painted with Superluminova Green. 

As highlighted earlier, the date aperture is located at the 3 o'clock position. A simple rectangular cut without any framing was made through the dial which provides a window to view the date wheel. Rado chose red to print the numbers against a white background.

As far as text on the dial, there are only three sets; the brand, "RADO", the series, "CAPTAIN COOK", and "SWISS MADE". Coupled with the free-turning red anchor logo, all came together to create a vintage-like beauty of a dial.



Topping the dial is a domed sapphire crystal that replicates the original Plexiglas used in the original. I love dome crystal (in whatever material) as it allows light to dance and hit the dial surface differently depending on the angle of the crystal to the light rays. I have to declare that this could be the singular reason I wanted to get the Captain Cook Green for the collection. Moreover, it is much appreciated that Rado did not add a magnifier for the crystal as found on the original. That would throw the symmetry of the watch face.



The watch comes with a unidirectional dive bezel. The stainless steel concave bezel came equipped with an insert made from high-tech ceramic and painted in emerald green. The markers on the bezel follows the standard of yesteryear, a combination of lines and numbers for every 5th minute. There is no luminous pip provided for the 60 minute position as required under the ISO6425 dive watch standard as this was a requirement set well after the original Captain Cook series was launched. I appreciate Rado for not following the ISO6425 standard as it will force the designers to make changes that was never on the original.

The edge of the bezel where the gear-tooth surface is thin and extend slightly beyond the watch casing. Some may find it hard to manipulate the bezel especially if wearing gloves. Personally, I have some concerns on the bezel extending beyond the watch casing. It gives a pivot point for it to snag against something. If it snags against a hard surface, it could possibly rip the bezel clean off the watch. However, this was how it was made on the original so I guess we have to live with it in the homage.

The bezel rotates at 120-clicks for a full rotation. The ratcheting system used has a good positive lock and there is no interplay as one applies pressure before it clicks to the next position.



The signed screw-down crown is located at the 3 o'clock position. Longer than other typical crowns, if you wear the watch close to the hand, it will bite into the skin if you flex your hands upwards.

The lugs does curve which keeps the overall length of the watch to just 49 mm. Paired with a bead-rice style bracelet, the watch exudes confidences and sophistication. Although there is no pass-through lug holes to help facilitate strap replacement, Rado's bracelet has a quick-release end-links which means you can remove the bracelet and swap it out with another strap without the need for tools. You will be able to see the quick-release knobs at the end of the end-links in the second photo below.


Do note that the lug width of the watch is not the typical 20 mm but 21 mm. Nevertheless, any strap with a width of 20 mm fits nicely without any visible gaps.

Rado's bead-rice bracelet is supple and thin. The bead-rice links are polished and sandwiched by a pair of brushed steel links. The bracelet also tapers from 21 mm at the lug to 18 mm at the clasp. The clasp is also slim to compliment the slim bracelet links. It is a simple folding clasp with push button lock.

The brand is prominently etched on to the clasp surface. The clasp surface is given a fine texture of micro parallel lines to diffuse the light shinning directly on to it.  It is interesting to note that the clasp does not have any micro-adjustment points. There is also no divers' extension function built into it.

Below is the photo that shows how flexible the bracelet is. Not many bracelets can do this, resting completely over the case-back without any arching.

To resize the bracelet, you can only take out the links. Although each link is the size of a typical half-link on contemporary bracelets, you may not be able to get it fit just nice for your wrist. Moreover, if you plan to dive with this watch, the bracelet option may not be the best choice. You may want to consider getting the fabric based strap or perhaps get the 'full package' model that comes with two extra straps as well as a nice leather travelling pouch.



The links are connected using a pin-and-collar system. The system used by Rado is bi-directional, i.e. the pin can enter on either side. In the middle of the collar is a small restriction that would keeps the pin in place via friction. I personally like this design as the collar is much longer and harder to lose unlike the tiny collars used in many other brands.



The case-back is a screw-down piece of solid metal plate. Rado made an effort to create a real nice graphic art on the case-back. Once again (in the picture above), you are able to see the knobs at the ends of the end-links that connects to the quick-release spring-bars. Underneath this case-back is a derivative of the self-winding 'Powermatic 80' movement by ETA with central hands and date.


The Movement

The Rado Captain Cook Green is powered by the ETA C07.611 automatic with manual winding movement. Operating at a frequency of 3 Hz or 21,600 BPH, it has a power reserve of approximately 80 hours. It also has a quick-set date complication and a seconds hand stop mechanism.

This movement is from ETA, a sister company to Rado by virtue that both are part of the big Swatch Group.

The base movement where the C07.611 was derived from is the iconic ETA 2824-2. By reducing the base frequency from 4 Hz to 3 Hz, ETA was able to extend the power reserve to a staggering 80 hours. This was the key re-design feature that created the basis of the 'Powermatic 80' family of movements. 

There are three major sub-movements; (a) the C07.1XX with synthetic escapement; (b) the C07.6XX with regular escapement; and (c) the C07.8XX with silicon hair spring. ETA can also tuned them to COSC standard if required.

The movement in my example is the standard model with regular escapement. I did a simple accuracy test using the Toolwatch application. On the first try straight out of the box, the watch recorded an accuracy of -6.3 seconds per day.

The illumination on the watch is not bad. Even with just a few seconds charged, the luminous paint shines bright for some time.




The Wearing Experience

My 6.75 inch wrist is well suited for a 42 mm wide watch. The thin casing as well as the equally thin bracelet and clasp fits perfectly, and on the wrist, the watch looks smaller. People with smaller wrist will also find this watch comfortable to wear.



The emerald green colour, the concave bezel as well as the dome sapphire crystal combine to make a very intricate visual presentation that looks amazing in sunlight. As can be seen in the photo above, at certain angles, the dial and bezel appears to be topaz blue instead of emerald green.



My earlier feedback about the lack of micro-adjustment points on the clasp and the lack of a basic divers' extension system for the bracelet are not justified as any correction to the design to address these concerns would create a watch that could be vastly different than the original. This would defeat the original concept of a 'homage' to the original 1962 Captain Cook. Granted the existing design have incorporated some 'modern' themes that was not on the original. Nevertheless, the changes are not that blatant. Adding the micro-adjustment points as well as a basic divers' extension system on the clasp would require a redesign of the bracelet. The bracelet would definitely be thicker and not as flexible as it is now.

I am satisfied with the overall package. This watch is a definite keeper in my view.


The Packaging

When I made my order via my AD, I was surprised that Rado threw in a few interesting stuff with the purchase including the paper-bag. My AD didn't have to add in anything else apart from the discount (!).

Apart from the watch (plus watch-box), Rado gave; (a) the latest catalogue; (b) a signed ball-point pen; (c) a polishing cloth; (d) a credit-card wallet; and (e) a plastic watch container.

The last item, the plastic watch container is the typical way a watch from the principal gets delivered to the ADs. The ADs are supposed to re-packed the watch back into the watch-box. The plastic watch container is not supposed to be given to the customer.


Honestly I am glad that my AD decided to give me everything. The plastic watch container is useful as I can use it to keep another watch safely.

Meanwhile, the other standard items I got with the watch-box is the manual. The warranty document as well as technical information about the watch are given in a series of credit-cards.



Rado gives an international two (2) year warranty for every purchase.

I bought this watch on 17 March 2020, a day before a nationwide partial lock-down in Malaysia for two weeks was about to start. The Movement Control Order was initiated by the authority in view of the deteriorating situation due to the Covid19 pandemic. All over the world, countries are instituting draconian measures to halt the infection rate of Covid19. I will remember this event every time I wear this watch. By the time this posting gets published, the scenario would have changed. Hopefully for the better.

The Series

As at the date of this review, there are 19 models of the Captain Cook 42 mm Automatic with the following permutations; (1) two type of materials, stainless steel or bronze (2) dial colours of either black, brown, green, grey or blue; (3) two types of bracelets, bead-rice or oyster; (4) two types of straps, NATO fabric or leather (5) two level of water resistance, 200 meters or 300 meters; (6) delivered as a standalone or a package with replacement straps; and (7) normal production models or a limited edition timepiece.

Below is a table of the various models available and the MSRP in Malaysia.

Ref: R32505153 Black Bead-rice bracelet 137 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32505305 Brown Brown leather 91 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32505313 Green Bead-rice bracelet 137 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32505315 Green Brown leather 91 gm 200 meters RM8,048
Ref: R32505015 Grey Brown leather 91 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32505205 Blue Tan leather 91 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32505203 Blue Bead-rice bracelet 137 gm 200 meters RM8,048	Ref: R32105153 Black Oyster bracelet 167 gm 300 meters RM8,448
Ref: R32105203 Blue Oyster bracelet 169 gm 300 meters RM8,448	Ref: R32105313 Green Oyster bracelet 165 gm 300 meters RM8,448	Ref: R32505016 Grey NATO brown 83 gm 200 meters RM7,848	Ref: R32505158 Black NATO, leather & bead-rice bracelet 200 meters RM8,858
Ref: R32105103 Grey (LE #999) NATO, leather & bead-rice bracelet 200 meters RM9,258	Ref: R32505018 Grey NATO, leather & bead-rice bracelet 200 meters RM8,858	Ref: R32505208 Blue NATO, leather & bead-rice bracelet 200 meters RM8,858	Ref: R32505318 Green NATO, leather & bead-rice bracelet 200 meters RM8,858
Ref: R32504205 Blue/Bronze case Blue leather 76 gm 300 meters RM10,468	Ref: R32504306 Brown/Bronze case Brown leather 78 gm 300 meters RM10,468	Ref: R32504315 Green/Bronze case Green leather 79 gm 300 meters RM10,468	The Rado Captain Cook 42 mm Automatic with following clusters 1. 200 m bracelet 2. 200 m leather 3. 300 m bracelet 4. 300 m leather 5. 200 m + straps 6. 300 m + straps 7. 300 m LE 8. 300 m bronze

After looking at the permutations, there are 8 distinct sub-groups available. The pricing for some of the permutations appears to be nonsensical. For example, the 200 meter versions with the bracelet or with the strap is the same price (RM8,048); also, the package models that comes with additional straps (adding a leather strap and a nylon NATO strap) pushed the price by an additional RM800.

In my opinion, the best value is the 200 meter with bracelet only (RM8,048).




Specifications

Dial: green
Display: Analogue with 3 hands with date display
Illumination: Super-LumiNova paint on hands and markers
----------
Case: Stainless steel
Bezel: High-tech ceramic
Width: 42.0 mm
Thickness: 12.1 mm
Length: 49.0 mm
Lug Width: 21 mm
Crown: Screwed crown
Water Resistance: 20 bar (200 m)
Crystal: Box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Case back: Screw-down solid plate
Weight: 137 gm
----------
Bracelet: Stainless steel with reference 07.03697
----------
Movement: ETA C07.611 automatic with manual winding
Jewels: 25
Frequency: 3 Hz or 21,600 BPH
Power Reserve: 80 hours
----------
Launched: 2019
MSRP: RM8,048
Warranty: Two (2) years
Purchase Date: 17 March 2020
Purchase Price: RM6,000
Dealer: AWG, Mid Valley
Serial Number: 15783510


Photo Gallery