When you arrive at a car dealership to test drive a potential vehicle, the concessioner takes a copy of your driver’s license and you are allowed a few spins around the block and, if you are lucky, a short jaunt out on the highway. Hardly a trip around the Nurburging Nordschleife. That’s a little like reviewing a watch. You wear it around for a week or two, but rarely do you put the timepiece through its paces. You are, after all, handling thousands of dollars of somebody else’s money.
So, when Rado offered me the opportunity to take the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver on an actual dive, I literally—and figuratively—jumped right in.
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The Dive
Tobermory is home to Canada’s Fathom Five National Marine Park which, among other delights, boasts 22 known shipwrecks. It was also the first stop on my recent eight-day road trip through Northern Ontario. As such, I picked out a simple shore dive known colloquially as The Tugs for my “test drive.” Unlike my usual stomping ground in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River, which has no thermocline (the water on the bottom is the same temperature as the water at the surface), Georgian Bay in Lake Huron is especially cold.
On the day of my dive, the surface temperature was 19°C (65°F); however, at 53 feet beneath the surface—our maximum depth—the water temperature was already noticeably cooler. The benefits of these colder conditions are clear blue waters and a dearth of algae and bacteria that that would hasten the breakdown of wooden hulled vessels.
In the early twentieth century, Tobermory was a booming fishery and a busy lumber port. Unfortunately, the mix of traffic, drunken sailors, and flame-powered masthead lamps lead to a number of shipping accidents in Little Tub Harbour. In fact, three of the four tugs on our dive –the Robert K, the John & Alex, and an unidentified wreck known to some as the Bob Foote—all succumbed to fire between 1905 and 1947. Each was cut from its moorings to protect the docks, the lumber, and the other ships at bay. Once the boats had burned to their waterlines, they sank. This explains their proximity to one another at the mouth of the harbour.
The fourth tug, known as the Alice G, snapped her mooring lines during a storm and ran aground in November of 1927. She leans upright on her starboard side in only 25 feet of water. As she did not succumb to fire like the rest, the Alice G is largely intact after almost 100 years on the bottom. Swimming through, you can see the boiler and engine, her deck, and portions of her railings. There is even an anchor, a propellor, and a smoke stack.
We swam slowly over these remains, and the scattered wrecks of the other three boats for just over 38-minutes. The water was crystalline. The visibility like nothing I had ever experienced. We were joined by flitting goby fish and perch, and quite possibly the largest Walleye I have ever laid eyes on. In the end, it was like slipping backward in time.
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Why I enjoyed diving with the Captain Cook
The Captain Cook Ceramic loaned to me was a beautiful clay-coloured, matte grey-green. The brand refers to it as “olive,” but that doesn’t quite capture the true tone. I received it on the fitted OEM rubber strap by request and I was not disappointed. The supple material and fine texturing are incredibly comfortable. And the bead-blasted clasp which is adjustable on the fly also comes with a diver’s extension, allowing it to pop over your dive cuff. As I was wearing a 7mm exposure suit, this came in quite handy.
It’s monochrome colourway and bold dial elements provide razor sharp legibility. And the clarity of its gorgeous dome is really something to behold under the water. While I didn’t have a chance to put its Super-LumiNova to the test (there was plenty of light on our dive) I can attest that even when walking through a dimly lit room the Captain Cook sparks up in a ghostly blue. It also crushes the ISO 6425 certification for dive watches and offers a punchy 300m of water resistance.
But, of course, what differentiates this watch from most other divers—and even other divers in the Captain Cook Collection—is its 43mm ceramic case. While I’m sure other brands might be able to achieve a similar colour with PVD, nothing can match the deep matte quality of ceramic. I even love the texture which appears brushed but is ultimately smooth to the touch. The geared bezel flange—fashioned from blasted steel—is also perfectly matched here. It has a truly tactile action and is easily operated with gloves.
While accuracy on a 38-minute dive may not be a matter of life or death, the R763 is a solid movement, adjusted to five positions with a killer 80-hour power reserve. Its anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring is also resistant to extreme temperature fluctuations, which would certainly be useful in the cold water of the Great Lakes.
Final Thoughts
Diving The Tugs on a sunny summer’s morning was a dream. So was wearing the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver. Dave, the Dive Master who acted as my buddy on that day, commented on it right away. There are a lot of things that contribute to the success of any experience. There are infinite variables in a universe that moves toward chaos. And, of course, there are a lot of things that can go wrong on a dive, even a simple one. So, when the universe contrives to offer you the perfect moment, you want to be wearing the perfect watch. On that day, I certainly was.
The Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver retails for $3350USD ($4500CAD) on rubber and $3700USD ($5000CAD) on a ceramic bracelet. Please visit the brand website for more information.
If you are curious about diving The Tugs or any other wrecks in the Fathom Five National Marine Park, I highly recommend the Diver’s Den in Tobermory.
About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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A Thumbnail Sketch of the Canadian Adventure Story. Constructed to take the reader right under the water with the Diver/Author. Haunting photography and perfect ‘timing’. Almost can hear the breath..tick..breath. Gorgeous watch . Puts calm to any thoughts of chaos.
Thank you🙏
Wonderful Read Robi 🙌🏽 I’m never finding my eye lids growing heavy while on one of your adventures or reviews my friend. This was no exception, the photos were incredible, the waters cold and clear, and the RADO captured my attention. I didn’t realize that the Captain Cook had a movement with anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring and a 80-hour power reserve. I still wish RADO would come out with a 40mm edition for those of us that just float on the surface 😂👍🏽😎
Thanks, as always, for the considered feedback. Glad you enjoyed the article. My fingers are crossed for your 40mm😉