BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
Rado made a strong entry into the world of heritage reissues with the release of the vintage-inspired Captain Cook 37 in 2017. Since its modern resurrection, Rado has consistently expanded the Captain Cook collection by releasing many intriguing variations of this watch. The latest addition to the Captain Cook family is the Captain Cook Over-Pole Limited Edition, a new world-timer variation of Captain Cook that pays homage to an old reference from the 50s.
Like the rest-issued Captain Cook, the Over-Pole Limited Edition stays very close to its vintage inspiration in many ways. To begin with, the Over Pole comes equipped with a familiar-looking 37mm steel case. The case features chunky angular lugs and a sloped broad bezel on top. The bi-directional rotating bezel features a black ceramic insert with major cities of the world printed in silver. Water-resistance is limited to 100 meters which is not bad for a travel watch like this. There is a super domed sapphire crystal that protects the dial, and the case back also comes with an exhibition glass that gives way to the movement that powers this watch.
Speaking of the movement, we have a very interesting and unique movement doing the duty here. The Rado Calibre R862, as it is being called, is a hand-wound version of the Powermatic 80 that drives many other Captain cook watches. The omission of a rotor leads to a clearer view of the movement that has been nicely decorated with blued screws and Geneva striping on the bridges. The movement still operates at 3 Hz, offers a healthy power reserve of around 80 hours, and is equipped with an anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring. Rado has also regulated the movement in five positions for enhanced accuracy.
The dial on this watch, like the case, sticks to the vintage recipe. The brown dial has a nice gradient finish that makes it look visually enticing. Complementing the dial are polished applied markers that have a highly faceted design with lots of sharp edges to induce some nice light play. The dauphine-style hands are also fully polished akin to the markers and are well proportioned. A white minute track with lume plots surrounds the hour markings, and a printed 24-hour-scale to read time in a different time zone sits on the outer periphery.
The new Rado Captain Cool Over-Pole limited edition comes packaged inside a special leather pouch with two strap options: a brown leather strap with white contrast stitching and a beads of rice bracelet. Production is limited to just 1962 pieces, and the watch will retail for CHF 2,400.
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