trophy slideshow-left slideshow-right chevron-left chevron-right chevron-light chevron-light play play-outline external-arrow pointer hodinkee-shop hodinkee-shop share-arrow share show-more-arrow watch101-hotspot instagram nav dropdown-arrow full-article-view read-more-arrow close close close email facebook h image-centric-view newletter-icon pinterest search-light hodinkee-logo search magnifying-glass thumbnail-view twitter view-image checkmark triangle-down chevron-right-circle chevron-right-circle-white lock shop live events conversation watch plus plus-circle camera comments download x heart comment default-watch-avatar overflow check-circle right-white right-black comment-bubble instagram speech-bubble shopping-bag shop watch Stories Sort Arrows New Search Clear Search

Hands-On The Rado Captain Cook Bronze

Does the bronze Captain Cook get the gold seal of approval?

ADVERTISEMENT

In the beginning, Rado created the Captain Cook. It was 1962, and what we got was a proper dive watch that competed with the best of them. Then, that design was reborn as the Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook Limited Edition in 2017 and swept Jason Heaton off his feet. Last year, I covered the all-grown-up Rado Captain Cook Automatic. I found it to be a pleasant watch with slightly more character than the usual suspects in the segment. 

And now, we have the Captain Cook Bronze Automatic. 

In terms of the second coming of the Captain Cook, the introduction of a bronze model follows a well-trodden path in the modern watch product life cycle. It has been wildly successful thus far in steel, and there are a finite number of ways to refresh the watch. So, a bronze case makes total sense. But the bronze case alone isn't what might get folks excited about this one.

Rado has historically championed a certain mastery of ceramic. It's part of their core identity. As such, there's a host of new bezel colors, too. The interplay between bronze, the alloy that brought an end to the stone age, and ceramic, a material that's paving the way forward, is what makes the watch visually interesting. It was the advent of ceramic tiles used on the Space Shuttle that allowed it to re-enter the atmosphere safely, and going forward, it's helping make suborbital flight a reality.

Three colors are part of this Rado bronze family: a bright green, a deep blue, and the same grey that you've seen on the previous iterations of the watch. All the tones reflect the natural world, and they're well executed. This is exactly Rado's wheelhouse, after all. 

This is the first execution of the watch, in my eyes, that's skewed closer to fashion watch spiritually. It's more of the modern Rado and less of the Rado of yesteryear that introduced the watch in '62, but there's a market for that. Besides, being a purist gets tiring anyway. There's plenty of room to have fun with materials and colors. Essentially, the introduction of these variants expands the range of folks who potentially would be interested in the watch, as it's still produced in 316L in addition to bronze. And you won't find a 316L caseback on the bronze watch either – it's not bronze, but rather titanium. In fact, aside from the caseback, all accents are in either gold or bronze. Even the little Rado anchor logo at 12 o'clock is rendered in a bronze-like color.

The easter egg of these watches is that the little anchor swivels. I apologize for ruining the discovery process; the first time I tried out one of these, I kept looking at the watch thinking something had changed on the dial. It was incredibly perplexing and even slightly annoying. Something was different, but I just couldn't figure out what. Then, finally, I found the anchor pointing straight up one time and it clicked. It's a novel touch and makes the Captain Cook even more fun.

The box crystal is in sapphire and distorts the printed hash marks on the chapter ring in the same way that a lot of vintage watches do. As Jason Heaton pointed out in his writing about the first Captain Cook, this is a watch that's made by the details. He envisioned it at home with a rattly twin-hose aqualung, rubber suit, and oval mask, but in bronze, it feels like it belongs with some well-worn jeans, beat-up boots, and a solid sweater. Although it's fully water resistant to 300 meters, visually it's more akin to what we'd expect from Rado. And for 90% of the customers considering this watch, it's the aesthetic they're after. 

While the watch has a strong visual identity, it does indeed have the specs to back it up. The ETA C07 inside the Rado is no slouch; it's proven robust and reliable in a number of watches from Tissot, Hamilton, and Certina. With an 80-hour power reserve, it's at the top of the range it plays in. The sapphire box crystal has a double AR coating, and there's a screw-down crown present too – also in bronze.

Even though it might feel more like a style statement than a serious tool watch, the specs do support the idea that this could go up against the field. And that's why I think this model merges the best of what the new Rado is great at, experimenting with colors and materials, and what the Rado of the '60s was trying to accomplish with the original Captain Cook. In short, it's arrived right at the sweet spot. 

The 42mm case wears tight to the wrist. The lugs are short, making it easy to get away with a 42mm case on a medium-sized wrist. The watch comes on a leather strap, which again points to the focus on style rather than substance during the design process. But, when you ponder the specs, it's a pleasant surprise that they've struck this careful balance between the two. The watch isn't particularly tall given what they've achieved in terms of water resistance and the inclusion of an automatic movement. It wears easy, slides under a cuff, and is generally very comfortable on the leather strap it's delivered on. 

The bronze used in this watch is aluminum bronze, which is composed of aluminum and copper, as opposed to standard bronze, made of copper and tin. When it comes to the differences between the two as it applies to watches, they're both technically as "capable," but standard bronze will tarnish and develop a very distinct patina – just ask the sub-niche community that uses egg wash, saltwater, and ammonia to speed up the aging process. But those tricks won't work (as well) on CuAl Bronze, of which the Captain Cook is made. It has better corrosion resistance and forms a coat of aluminum oxide that "seals" it. What this means is that the bronze will remain relatively clean looking – and that will make some bronze-obsessed folks happy and leave some folks disappointed.

For the rest of us, this Captain Cook is a decent gateway into the world of bronze divers. I was never sold on the trend, as 316L (and 904L) is sacrosanct to me. But the Captain Cook makes a compelling argument for the category. After all, for some applications like maritime use, CuAl is preferable to stainless steel for its resistance to corrosion in seawater. Although I'd put the Captain Cook Bronze closer to a style statement, according to the facts, it performs just as well underwater as topside.

The Rado Captain Cook Bronze is 42mm and is made from CuAl, a type of bronze that doesn't develop the type of patina typically associated with bronze. The bezel is made from ceramic, in three colors: Green, blue, and grey. The dial has a sunburst pattern that matches the bezel. Water resistance is rated at 300m, although it does come on a leather strap.  It will be available starting in April at Rado retailers and online. It's priced at $2,600 for each colorway. For more on the Rado Captain Cook Bronze, check it out here