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Vulcain Nautique Skindiver VS Rado Captain Cook
Here we have 2 dive watches; Vulcain Nautique Skindiver and Rado Captain Cook. We will review them individually and also compare them to each other have a dive duel and review. We have a special scoring list so one of them will be the winner in the end. The highest score a watch can get is 100 and the different categories are; Design, Movement, Wearability, Price and Value, and, X-Factor.
Design
Rado has a special design with great dial colors that are both bright but also deep in color. The case makes it easy to wear, and the sizes, 37 mm, 42 mm and 43 mm are available. All models over 37 mm have 200 meters of water resistance or more. Rado Captain Cook has a nice fully polished case with a great bezel action. If you choose either bronze or ceramic in the case material the case will be mainly brushed. The strap options are many with different steel links, nato straps, and more. The clasp is pretty basic, because it´s small and does not feel secure enough for a real dive watch. The main strap in the Vulcain Skindiver is of leather and synthetic which is pretty strange on a diving watch. The Rado Captain Cook comes with many more options regarding straps and steel links.
Vulcain has a visually brushed dial, which is pretty unique in a dive watch. Overall the model has three dial variations, a beige or salmon dial and a matt black dial. The Rado Captain Cook has more lume on its dial compared to the Vulcain Skindiver which has a more vintage feel to it even if both models are vintage-inspired. You will find ceramic bezels on both, which come with great bezel action but if we have to give the edge to one of these, it´s the Vulcain Skindiver, it has a more crisp sound.
Both models have a closed case back, and the overall case design ‘quality’ in the Vulcain watch is better than the Rado Captain Cook in 37 mm because you will find both brushed and polished areas. You do get that in the bronze versions of the Rado Captain Cook but not in many of the other versions.
SCORE RADO: 12
SCORE VULCAIN: 13
Movement
The Rado has a movement called ‘powermatic 80’ which is based on the ETA caliber 2824. It has 80 hours of power reserve instead of 38 hours in the Vulcain Skindiver which has the ‘original’ ETA 2824. Although the frequency isn´t the same we do prefer the 80 hours so Rado comes out a bit ahead in this category.
SCORE RADO: 10
SCORE VULCAIN: 8
WEARABILITY
In this category, we look at the functions of the watches and how versatile the watches are. Regarding functions, the basic Rado Captain Cook comes with a date function and you can also find models that have chronograph complications. The Vulcain Skindiver doesn´t come with any of those functions but does come in a versatile polished and brushed case which makes it wearable on many occasions and outfits. The Rado´s fully polished case (the steel variations), is more sporty and in some cases dressy than the Vulcain Skindiver. Regarding straps the clear ‘winner’ is Rado which can be had in many different materials such as steel links and nato straps.
The Vulcain Skindiver has 200 meters of water resistance. With Rado, we get 100 meters in the 37 mm case and then 200 and 300 in the other models. Vulcain has 200 meters in all three Skindiver variations.
Overall, if you only have one watch, the Vulcain is the more versatile watch, but if you want to buy a new watch then you have a lot more options in the Rado Captain Cook Collection line. It´s a hard category to score, which makes this a tie.
SCORE RADO: 13
SCORE VULCAIN: 13
Price And Value:
The prices for the Rado Captain Cook in 37 mm and the Vulcain Skindiver is pretty much in the same ballpark but the more affordable alternative is the Vulcain Skindiver.
Regarding value over time, the Vulcain may depreciate less because the brand value is a bit higher overall but it's not a guarantee. On the pre-owned market, we will find more Rado Captain Cook models so if you would want to sell it or buy it fast it could be in Rado´s favor.
SCORE RADO: 11
SCORE VULCAIN: 13
X-Factor
To be fair, both models have the it factor, or X-factor. One thing in favour of Vulcain Skindiver may be that it´s newer and therefore a bit more exciting for some. Rado has an established collection by this point and maybe it has lost a bit of that feeling but both are special watches/collections.
On the other hand, Vulcain Skindiver is late to the dive watch game, and to call it unique may be a stretch. It´s a hard choice between these two types of watches.
SCORE RADO: 13
SCORE VULCAIN: 12
Summary And Results
This was an interesting Dive Watch Battle with a tie, 59 points out of 100 for both models which seems fair. You can´t go wrong with either model and they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
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