South Korean celebrity and Rado amvassador Ji Chang Wok is wearing Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Skeleton.
As K-drama stars and K-pop idols continue to dominate the global showbiz scene, luxury brands are certainly taking note and securing endorsement deals with the biggest stars in the industry. So far, this year has already seen a flurry of new endorsement deals among recording artistes....
Now it’s a South Korean actor’s turn to get the attention, as Ji Chang-wook has been announced as the latest brand ambassador for Rado – the Swiss horology icon best known for its inspired designs innovative movement and use of revolutionary materials to create some of the world’s most recognisable and durable watches.
Ji is wearing Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton.Ji rose to fame portraying Dong-hae in popular drama series Smile Again back in 2010. Since then, he’s had impressive and notable lead roles in multiple series such as Empress Ki, The K2 and Healer, as well as films like 2017’s Fabricated City.
In his new role as Rado’s standard bearer, Ji wears the brand’s cutting-edge Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton.
Under the theme “The Art of Skeletonisation”, the famed South Korean actor’s new watch heralds a fresh aesthetic direction for the brand’s popular Captain Cook series.
The timepiece’s precise R808 movement, which has an 80-hour power reserve, can also be admired from the flip side through a titanium case-back carrying a sapphire crystal, for a clear and unobstructed view of the core watch components.
Previously, the iconic Rado Captain Cook collection of timepieces has captivated watch enthusiasts and adventurers alike.
Indeed, as recreational diving became ever more popular, and scuba diving has become the domain of both professionals and amateurs alike, the one thing all divers needed was a way to time their dives accurately.
In the years before wrist-mounted dive computers, there’s no doubt that a dive watch like the Captain Cook was truly a life-saving piece of kit!
This was one of the main reasons why Rado launched its first Captain Cook watch in 1962.
The handsome profile of Rado’s Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton automatic watch with the R808 calibre.
And in meeting the needs of amateur and professional divers, the watch quickly became quite possibly Rado’s most renowned model, reflecting the era of great expeditions, explorers and adventures while also serving the increasing demand for dive watches.
Since then, the Captain Cook range has become some of the most well-known timepieces in the horological industry.
This collection is perhaps the biggest and most loved within Rado’s portfolio.
Over the years, Rado continued to innovate and push the boundaries of watchmaking, introducing new features and materials that made the Captain Cook watch line even more impressive.
And with the introduction of high-tech ceramic in the 1980s, Rado proved that it was not afraid to embrace new technologies.
The caseback of Rado's Captain Cook Ceramic Skeleton automatic watch with the R808 calibre.
With the introduction of plasma high-tech ceramic, Rado has taken the materials science to another level.
This cutting-edge material is created by subjecting high-tech ceramic to a high-temperature treatment, which changes the surface properties of the ceramic as well as gives it a unique metallic look with mysterious, deep anthracite shades.
In 2017, Rado unveiled the vintage re-edition of the 1962 Captain Cook in 37mm proportions – reminiscent of the original – and a larger 45mm version in response to popular demand for vintage-looking yet contemporary editions.
The automatic watch has the brand’s anchor symbol on the dial.
With the newest Captain Cook, Rado delivers a model that not only adopts the name and spirit of its predecessor, but is poetry in ceramic that makes up the case, bezel and bracelet.
It epitomises Rado’s industry-leading know-how innovative materials and the brand’s ability to apply these to any style of watch.
A plasma grey (akin to gunmetal hue) and gold-coloured variant has joined the Captain Cook collection.
It is visually distinct — superb matte-finished monobloc case framed by a circular-brushed plasma high-tech ceramic bezel insert that matches the tones of the case and the outer bracelet links.
A warm and brilliant rose gold-coloured index ring adds contrast inside the sporty rotatable bezel, adjacent to the classic Captain Cook box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both faces.
“I have always been interested in Swiss watches, especially in unique designs and special materials,” said Ji.
He certainly has such a timepiece now that he’s on board with the master of materials Rado and the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton.
