Has Rado hit it for six with the new Captain Cook x Cameron Green limited edition? We find out in this review!
What We Love
- The green gradient dial gives the watch plenty of character
- The 42mm case wears well, and seems smaller than the specs suggest
- The cricket-inspired details bring the watch to life really well
What We Don’t
- A colour-matched date window would have looked better, although it would have been tricky
- Swapping straps can be a little fiddly at first, especially the rubber
- While the bracelet adds versatility, there is no micro-adjustment or quick adjustment at all on the clasp
Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10
- Value for Money: 8.5/10
- Wearability: 9/10
- Design: 8/10
- Build Quality: 8/10
By now, most people will be familiar with the Rado Captain Cook. First introduced in 1962, the Captain Cook was Rado’s take on the dive watch, with a design that included a rotating bezel and the brand’s now-famous moving anchor logo on the dial. The original models were produced between 1962 and 1968, before Rado brought the collection back in 2017 with a modern interpretation that stayed true to the original 37mm design. In 2019, the collection expanded with 42mm models, followed by versions in different materials, including bronze and Rado’s high-tech ceramic. If you’re interested in the Captain Cook’s journey, the article below may be of interest.
More recently, we saw the introduction of the Captain Cook Discover, which arrived in five different models and gives the collection a more contemporary feel. These are aimed at people who might want something a little more understated on the wrist, while still retaining the character of the Captain Cook.
As one of Rado’s most recognisable collections, it makes sense that the brand would partner with one of its key ambassadors, Australian cricketer Cameron Green, to produce a new limited edition. It’s a watch that’s likely to appeal to cricket fans, and is produced in a limited run of 459 pieces to represent Cam Green as the 459th player to represent Australia on the national cricketing stage.
I had the pleasure of meeting Cam Green a couple of months ago at the opening of Rado’s Melbourne boutique, and he has a genuine appreciation for Rado and what it stands for. I’ve now had the opportunity to wear the new Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition for a couple of weeks, so let’s take a closer look at how it performs on the wrist.
First Impressions
Of all the Captain Cook models I’ve worn over the past four or five years, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is probably my favourite. There are a couple of reasons for that, starting with the size.
At 42mm in diameter and 12.3mm thick, it’s a very wearable watch. Thanks to Rado’s EasyClip system, you also have the option of switching between the stainless steel bracelet, the black rubber strap or the supplied green-and-gold NATO-style strap.
I’ve tried all three, and my favourite would have to be the rubber strap. It’s incredibly soft and supple, and combined with the ergonomics of the case, it makes for a watch that sits comfortably on the wrist. Despite being a sports watch, it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a big hunk of metal, which is something I really appreciate.
I also like the way Rado has designed the watch to reflect both Cam Green and the sport of cricket. The green dial transitions from a very light green, almost yellow in the centre, through to a much darker green around the edges. The idea is to represent a cricket oval, with the lighter centre reflecting the pitch and the darker green representing the grass towards the boundary.
It’s a clever way of incorporating the sport into the design without making the watch feel too themed. There are also a few smaller details that tie everything together, including the three gold-coloured dots at 12 o’clock, which represent the wickets, and the minute track around the dial, inspired by the stitching of a cricket ball. Even the red behind the Rado anchor at six o’clock adds to the cricket theme.
Of course, it still has all the hallmarks of the Captain Cook collection, including the concave ceramic bezel, the large arrow-shaped hour hand and the rotating Rado anchor on the dial. The gold-coloured accents also work particularly well against the green, giving the watch a bit more character.
The Design
The Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition takes its design cues from the vintage-inspired Captain Cook models of the 1960s. The case measures 42mm in diameter, 12.3mm thick and a lug-to-lug of 48.6mm, with a polished stainless steel finish and yellow gold-coloured PVD accents. These proportions work well for a sports watch, and I’ll come back to how the case wears on the wrist shortly.
The dial is one of the highlights for me. The green sunray finish, albeit very subtle, transitions from a very light green in the centre towards a darker green around the edges. It’s designed to represent the cricket pitch and the surrounding grass of the oval, and it’s a cool effect that I haven’t seen used quite like this on a watch dial before.
The hands are typical of the Captain Cook, with a sword-shaped minute hand and a large arrowhead hour hand. The central seconds hand also has a small touch of red at the tip, adding another detail to the overall colour scheme.
Rado has kept the dial relatively clean, with the brand logo at 12 o’clock, and three gold dots above it for the cricket stumps, and its rotating anchor in gold and red providing the main details. There’s also a small date window at three o’clock, which is fairly unobtrusive and doesn’t interrupt the overall symmetry too much.
Personally, I would have liked to see Rado make the date window a similar colour to the dial. However, given the gradient effect, matching the date background perfectly would have been quite difficult. I’ll give Rado a pass on that one, as I can appreciate the challenge of getting it right.
The red date numerals also tie in with the red detailing I associate with the cricket ball, like behind the anchor and the tip of the seconds hand. It’s another small detail that helps bring the cricket theme together.
Around the dial, the dark green high-tech ceramic bezel insert adds to the vintage-inspired look. Depending on the lighting, the darker green can appear almost black, while in other conditions, it becomes more noticeable. The polished finish also gives the bezel a bit of contrast against the stainless steel case.
The yellow gold PVD crown, hands, indices and bezel markings help bring the watch to life. I’ve reviewed other Captain Cook models that use gold-coloured details, and on some of those I’ve felt the gold was a little too prominent and didn’t tie the aesthetic of the watch together as well as I’d like. Here, though, the overall effect is more restrained. The gold-coloured PVD accents work particularly well against the green dial without becoming too much.
The watch also features a box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, which suits the vintage-inspired design. It’s not overly domed, and I found the legibility to be good without too many of the annoying reflections you can sometimes get with this style of crystal.
Rado has given you a few options when it comes to changing the look of the watch, which I personally like as they are all standard inclusions with the set, and all easily switched out with Rado’s EasyClip system, which is essentially a quick-release springbar system.
The stainless steel rice-grain bracelet features polished yellow gold-coloured PVD-coated centre links, giving the Captain Cook a slightly dressier appearance. If you want something that can be worn with an elevated look, this is probably the option I’d go for. The bracelet has a solid feel to it, and the design works nicely with the other gold-coloured details on the watch.
I’ll point out one thing though that I did notice, and that was the lack of any micro-adjustment on the clasp. Normally with a steel bracelet that has a folding clasp, there will be 3-5 small holes that you can make small adjustments to get the right fit, and using a small springbar tool, easy enough to do yourself. Or if the brand goes that little bit extra, a quick adjustment mechanism of some sort. The Captain Cook x Cameron Green has neither, which I think is an oversight here, even with a watch priced under the A$5,000 mark.
For something sportier, though, the rubber strap is the one I’d choose, and the one that I did gravitate towards the most. The black textured rubber strap isn’t too plain, and it’s clear that Rado has put some thought into how it looks and feels. The rubber is soft and malleable, making it easy to get on the wrist, and I’ve found it comfortable whether worn a little looser or tighter.
Because the strap is moulded to the case and follows the curve of the lugs, there’s very little overhang or flare. That might sound inconsequential, but it makes a difference to how the watch sits on the wrist and adds to its overall wearability in my opinion.
I did find fitting the rubber strap a little fiddly at first, however. The way the ends are shaped, and the spring bars sit in the ends, means you need to get the angle right when pushing the tabs on the spring bar in. I suspect this is more a matter of getting used to the mechanism, and once you’ve worked out the right technique, it should become easier.
For those who want something a little different, Rado also supplies a green-and-yellow textile NATO-style strap. It picks up the colours of the dial and gives the watch a more casual, sporty appearance. The strap also has gold-coloured PVD details on the buckle and loops, tying it in with the rest of the watch.
Having all three options means you can change the look of the watch depending on what you’re doing or simply how you feel like wearing it that day. I always appreciate having that flexibility, particularly when one of the options is as comfortable as this rubber strap.
How It Wears
As I’ve already mentioned, this is a very easy watch to wear. Some of the larger Captain Cook models can feel a little big or unbalanced on the wrist, something I’ve touched on in previous reviews, particularly when it comes to the larger ceramic models and those fitted with bracelets.
This version feels more wearable. At 42mm across and 12.3mm thick with an approx. 48mm lug-to-lug, its proportions, combined with the shape of the lugs, help it sit comfortably on the wrist without feeling overly bulky, and surprisingly, this watch does not feel like a 42mm watch at all. And I think it is due to a combination of factors.
For me, the rubber strap is where this watch really comes into its own. The way it follows the shape of the case, with very little flare, means it sits nicely on the wrist rather than sticking out at the sides. It’s a small design detail, but it makes a real difference when you’re wearing the watch throughout the day.
I could see the fit being less suitable for someone with an exceptionally small wrist, perhaps below 15cm in circumference, or someone with a particularly large wrist of around 19cm or more due to the moulded and curved ends. For most people, though, I think the proportions should work well. Of course, wrist shape and personal preference also play a part.
This is a sporty-looking watch, so it’s probably not the first piece I’d reach for when wearing a suit and tie. Given that it’s been designed in conjunction with an Australian cricketer, that’s hardly surprising. However, for getting around town, running errands or wearing it to work in a less “suit and tie” environment, it ticks most of the boxes for an everyday watch.
If you want to dress it up a little, the two-tone bracelet gives you that option. It changes the overall appearance enough to make the watch feel a little smarter, while still retaining the sporty character of the Captain Cook. In that sense, the Captain Cook x Cameron Green edition can be more versatile than your standard sports watch on a rubber or NATO strap. The bracelet gives it a slightly more formal look, while the rubber and NATO straps keep things casual and sporty.
Dial legibility is also good. The crystal is slightly domed without being overly reflective, and the lighter centre of the dial that graduates out to dark helps keep the hands and markers easy to pick out, with the gilt style assisting this. Speaking of which, I particularly like the way the gold-coloured accents catch the light. When driving, for example, the watch sits at an angle on my left wrist, and the gold details become much more noticeable as the light hits them. It gives the dial a bit of extra life and makes the watch stand out without needing an overly complicated design.
If you’re after something a little different from the usual black, blue or standard green sports watch, I think this is a good alternative. It has enough colour to make it interesting, but the overall design remains recognisably a Captain Cook.
The Movement
Powering the Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition is Rado’s automatic calibre R763, based on Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80. As the name suggests, it has an 80-hour power reserve and includes an antimagnetic Nivachron™ hairspring. These days, I feel 72 hours is the minimum benchmark for most watches, so Rado goes a little beyond this with the 80-hour power reserve, making it a perfect daily, or a watch you can wear every other day.
Turning the watch over, you’ll find a stainless steel screw-down case back with a smoked sapphire crystal window. It carries Cam Green’s signature and individual numbering, along with a silver silhouette of Cam batting, which is a nice touch. The image of Cam with his cricket bats is semi-reflective, so it stands out when you look at the case back from an angle, but from straight on, it blends into the background a little more.
The case back also ties into the reason for the limited edition. The watch is restricted to 459 pieces, commemorating Cameron Green becoming the 459th player to represent Australia in Test cricket.
Final Thoughts
I think the Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition is a nice move from the brand. It celebrates one of its ambassadors, an Australian cricketer, while also bringing Rado’s connection with cricket into the spotlight, a sport that Rado has been associated with for some time.
It’s also the first watch I’ve come across that has been designed around the sport in quite this way. We’ve seen plenty of watches produced in conjunction with sporting teams and athletes, even cricket, with brands taking inspiration from different aspects of their respective sports. In this case, Rado has used the colours and details of a cricket oval to give the watch its own identity.
The green gradient dial, gold-coloured accents and small touches inspired by cricket bring the theme together without making the watch feel overdone. It’s a clever use of colour, and I think it works.
At A$4,700, I also think it offers a reasonable proposition for someone looking at a watch in this category. Rado has positioned the Captain Cook as a versatile sports watch, and one that isn’t going to break the bank. The stainless steel bracelet, plus the two additional straps, gives you a few different ways to wear it, and the 300-metre water resistance and 80-hour power reserve also make it a practical option for everyday use.
If you’re a cricket fan, follow Cam Green or simply like what Rado is doing with the Captain Cook, I can see this being a watch you’ll enjoy wearing. There’s a bit of fun to it, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, even though it is still a proper sports watch.
The limited-edition status also gives it a degree of exclusivity. Plenty of brands release limited editions these days, so the designation alone doesn’t necessarily make a watch special. Here, though, the connection with Cam Green and the use of cricket-inspired design details give the watch a clear reason to exist.
My hope is that Rado doesn’t overdo it by releasing a new version of this watch every year or two. For now, I think the Cameron Green edition strikes a good balance between celebrating the sport, recognising one of its ambassadors and offering something a little different within the Captain Cook collection.
Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Reference | R32138318, limited to 459 pieces |
| Dimensions | 42mm x 12.3mm thick, x 48.6mm lug-to-lug |
| Case material | Polished stainless steel with yellow gold-coloured PVD accents, screw-down, stainless steel with PVD accents |
| Dial | Green sunray gradient dial with gold PVD hands & indices |
| Crystal | Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides |
| Case back | Screw-down stainless steel case back with sapphire crystal, Cameron Green’s signature and individual numbering |
| Movement | Automatic calibre R763, beating at 3Hz / 21,600 VpH |
| Power reserve | 80 hours |
| Water resistance | 300 metres |
| Bracelet/Strap | Stainless steel rice-grain bracelet with yellow gold-coloured PVD-coated centre links, additional black rubber strap and green-and-gold (Yellow) textile NATO-style strap with EasyClip |