Rado Goes Blue, with New Skeleton Captain Cook and True Square Models in Navy Blue Ceramic

By now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that Rado, a Swatch Group brand, has gained (well, self-attributed, but justified) the title of The Master of Materials, being one of the leading representatives of the ceramic watch – thanks to sister company ComaDur. Ceramic has multiple qualities – it is durable, scratch-resistant, light, soft to the touch, etc. But, unlike coated metal watches, the colour of ceramic is a property of the material itself, meaning it is resistant to wear and won’t fade. In this context, Rado has been playing with black, grey, green and even white watches. And now, it’s time for navy blue to become the latest member of the family, with new editions of the Captain Cook and True Square models.

While ceramic has some flaws (it can be brittle, it’s hard to machine), it also has many advantages. One of them, which has long been exploited by Rado’s high-tech ceramic, is the ability to create wear- and fade-free coloured compounds with a resistance that matches that of the material itself. The great aspect of coloured ceramics is that the tones are deep within the material and not the result of a coating (such as PVD or DLC). Creating ceramic colours isn’t easy and requires mixing the base compound with other metallic oxides, which can cause the colour to change during the sintering process. Nevertheless, The Master of Materials couldn’t be bothered by that and now adds another colour to its palette of ceramics: Navy Blue.

Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton Navy Blue

The first of the two models is a classic of the brand, which has already been seen in various colours – dark grey high-tech ceramic, matte black ceramic, Plasma ceramic or matte olive green. The latest version, which retains all the technical elements and specifications of the watch we reviewed here, is presented in a new deep navy blue, matte-finished monobloc ceramic case with a polished blue ceramic bezel and blue ceramic insert with a white lacquered scale. The dial, openworked and revealing parts of the movement, is made of tinted sapphire with a matte blue inner flange.

Power comes from the calibre R808, a skeletonized and high-grade version of the Powermatic 80, with a Nivachron hairspring and 5-position testing. The new Captain Cook Skeleton comes with a sporty textured rubber strap in a matching blue colour, closed by a stainless steel and blue ceramic extendable folding clasp.

Quick facts: 43mm (W) x 14.6mm (H) x 49.8mm (L) – matte navy blue high-tech ceramic, polished navy blue ceramic rotating bezel with 60-minute scale in white lacquer – box-shaped sapphire crystal and sapphire caseback – 300m water-resistant – matte blue dial with tinted sapphire – calibre R808 (Powermatic 80) automatic, 25 jewels, 3Hz, 80h power reserve, anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring – navy blue rubber strap with folding clasp – reference R32153209 – EUR 4,850

True Square Skeleton Navy Blue Ceramic

The second Rado model to come in this new Navy Blue colour is yet another brand classic, based on the True Square Skeleton watches we introduced here. Joining the black, grey and white version, this new model is bolder and sportier, with its rubber strap replacing the ceramic bracelet. It is closed by a newly designed clasp using a high-tech ceramic cover. Power also comes here from the calibre R808, yet with different bridges on top to match the graphic design of the case.

Quick facts: 38mm (W) x 9.7mm (H) x 44.2mm (L) – polished navy blue high-tech ceramic, sandblasted titanium caseback – sapphire crystal on both sides – 50m water-resistant – openworked dial with blue sandblasted element – calibre R808 (Powermatic 80) automatic, 25 jewels, 3Hz, 80h power reserve, anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring – navy blue rubber strap with folding clasp – reference R27178205 – EUR 2,750

For more details, please visit www.rado.com.