he vibrant colour, fun and rhythm of the Nineties are etched in everyone’s memory. Few places tell that story better than the brightly multicultural city of Berlin, whose heartbeat has brought great inspiration to many of the most creative people in recent decades.

Designer Marina Hoermanseder calls it home and is back with her second collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Rado, an exuberant 80-hour-reserve automatic that proudly celebrates the creative pulse she shares with that city, historical hub of diversity and energy. This unique, new variant of the Captain Cook brings Marina’s dance-happy step to the product line, with a rainbow of precious stones, PVD-finished contrasts, that famous box-shaped sapphire crystal and, of course, those unmistakeable Marina Hoermanseder straps. At the centre of the new watch, a very original second hand ticks away the time in stylish playfulness, as both the image of a heartbeat and Marina’s own signature.

The new Rado Captain Cook x Marina Hoermanseder Heartbeat is a clear invitation to celebrate all that everyone loves about Berlin’s Kreuzberg district and uniqueness in all things. Highlighting that fascinating rhythm that keeps us all alive and its distant cousin, the ultra-precise modern automatic movement, the new watch features a colourful rainbow of eight precious stones and applied indices, to decorate a bright and expressive dial whose surface echoes the white high-tech ceramic insert in its rotating bezel.

The latter’s laser-engraved, gold-coloured metallised markers and numerals add the perfect accompaniment to the polished yellow-gold-coloured PVD coating of the stainless steel case and bezel. The dial and gold-coloured moving-anchor symbol with silver-coloured backplate, dark grey Rado and Captain Cook logos are guarded behind that exquisite box-shaped sapphire crystal well-known to Captain Cook product lovers. The crystal is treated with antireflective coating on both faces and the hour/minute hands with white Super-LumiNova^®, to maximise readability.

Inside, as to enhance all that originality with a touch of serious watchmaking precision, a Rado R763 automatic movement with 25 jewels, three hands and date window at 3 o’clock keeps things in order. Its Nivachron^TM anti-magnetic hairspring gives the timepiece 80 hours of power reserve, adjusted for five positions. An additional sapphire crystal glass on the screw- down case back allows curious watch lovers to marvel at the heartbeat workings of this deeply original Marina Hoermanseder X version of the Captain Cook, also water-resistant to 10 bar (100m).

The watch is supplied with three different bracelet/strap possibilities. The first is a rice-grain type, polished/brushed yellow-gold-colour PVD-coated stainless steel bracelet with a polished stainless steel triple-fold clasp. An additional black double-length leather (with embossed alligator motif) NATO strap equipped with Marina’s trademark buckle in yellow-gold- colour PVD-coated stainless steel. Another black standard- length leather strap is also included, with the same embossed alligator-motif surface, and a yellow-gold-colour PVD-coated stainless steel pin-buckle. The watch is delivered in a handsome Marina Hoermanseder-branded black pouch.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

DIAL

White, yellow gold coloured applied indexes with white Super-LumiNova® • 8 rainbow stones 125/130, full cut, eye clean, 0.073 carat (blue sapphire, light blue aquamarine, green tsavorite, yellow sapphire, orange sapphire, red spinel, pink sapphire, violet sapphire) • Yellow gold coloured moving anchor symbol with silver coloured backplate • Yellow gold coloured with white Super-LumiNova® • Yellow gold coloured second hand with Marina Hoermanseder heartbeat logo

MOVEMENT

Rado calibre R763 • 80-hour power reserve • Antimagnetic NivachronTM hairspring • Tested in 5 positions for higher accuracy

CASE

Polished yellow gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel case & turning bezel with polished white high-tech ceramic insert, with laser engraved yellow gold coloured metallised numbers and markers • Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both faces • Water-resistant to 10 bar (100m) • Ø37mm

BRACELET/STRAPS

One bracelet and two straps with EasyClip system in a branded black pouch. • Polished and brushed yellow gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel, rice grain type bracelet, polished stainless steel 3-fold clasp, yellow gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel cover • Black double length leather NATO strap with stamped alligator pattern with Marina’s trademark buckle in yellow gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel • Black leather strap with stamped alligator pattern, yellow gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel pin buckle