Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard is an interesting man, having been a professional motorbike racer for more than one-and-a-half decade. As a professional motorcyclist, he was a multiple Swiss champions in the 1980s and 1990s and competed in road races in the MotoGP World Championship until 1996. He still lives the thrill as an avid skier and cyclist.
Bosshard was on his maiden trip to India to meet key trade partners and announce three new additions to the iconic Rado Captain Cook Collection. And what could be a better venue to launch these fabulous diver watches than the high seas of Mumbai. After a brief presentation at a five-star hotel, we sailed on a beautiful Ferretti yacht to check out the timepieces. Bosshard, wearing the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic—a watch he feels represents the essence of Rado DNA and perfectly combines Rado’s roots with the present—is leading the charge at Rado with visionary designs, and innovative high-tech materials and unusual collaborations. Having spent time in group companies—Certina for 17 years and Union Glashütte for a few more years—helps Bosshard align Rado’s goals with the overall Swatch Group well.
Onboard the yacht, when I quizzed him about what is common between a racing driver and the global CEO of a luxury brand, his one-word answer was ‘passion’. And about India, the number two market for Rado globally, Bosshard feels bullish and hopes the Indian customers will continue to shower the same love on the new Captain Cook collection as they have been showing to the other models from Rado over the years.
The Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver—inspired by water, adventure, and the spirit of the wild—embodies the Rado DNA perfectly. All six models in this series are equipped with technology that drives incredible 80 hours of power reserve and water resistance to strict ISO 6425 specifications. The Rado R763 movement is inside a stunning high-tech ceramic monobloc case that is scratch-resistant, hypo-allergenic, and practically invulnerable to any circumstances.
Rado will also launch Captain Cook Chronograph globally in June this year. The "Master of Materials”, Rado will present not one but three variants of their new chronograph—in distinct shades and strap/bracelet configurations sure to please aficionados of timekeeping.
That’s not all! Rado also released an iconic model from the 60s and equipped it with a high-quality Swiss hand-wound mechanical movement with 80 hours of power reserve. The Captain Cook Over-Pole features characteristic design aspects from the original "Over-Pole Worldtimer" that have been modernized with a high-tech ceramic insert added to the bezel, laser engraving, and a box-shaped sapphire crystal, while true vintage essentials have been also been retained such as the iconic 37mm diameter and overall style. Rado, over the years, has revolutionised traditional watchmaking, leading the industry by introducing high-tech ceramic, plasma high-tech ceramic, and Ceramos™ to its design-led collections.
The new “Worldtimer” sports a turning bezel with the key cities of the world (and yes, Mumbai is included), for quick estimation of the time in those locations—a smart, open invitation for all the would-be globetrotters. The first Over-Pole was a huge success, as it hinted at reliable timekeeping at the planet's polar limits, under an evocative name. The new timepiece marks the 60th anniversary of that exploration-inspired timepiece.
The new workings of this conversation piece are housed in a polished stainless-steel case, around which the key elements of the original design are clearly recognisable, such as the inward-sloping bezel with city names, the classic red date-numeral at 3 o’clock, and the box-shaped glass. In this reissue, the bezel carries a black, polished high-tech-ceramic insert with laser engraving for the city names, and the new glass is sapphire crystal, treated on both faces with an anti-reflective coating. The screw-down case back also includes its own sapphire crystal, showing the words "Limited Edition" and the timepiece's edition unit number, so one can behold the heart that makes it all happen. The edition will be produced as an exclusive series of 1962 units, with a manual-winding movement, equipped with a NivachronTM antimagnetic hairspring, that was chosen for its distinctive reliability and accuracy, and allows the new Over-Pole to exceed test requirements by five full points.
The new Captain Cook Over-Pole Limited Edition is delivered in a stylish brown pouch with a second bracelet, in rice-grain-style stainless steel, and is quickly interchangeable for a different look, thanks to the EasyClip system. Bosshard has now travelled back to his home in Switzerland only with a promise of coming back to India soon.