A dinner with Rado and their new ambassador, top Australian cricketer Cameron Green
Jamie WeissCricket is one of the most popular sports in the world – second only to soccer, in fact, with The Gentleman’s Game boasting a global viewership of over 2.5 billion people. And it seems that watch brands are finally paying attention. One brand that’s been particularly early in embracing cricket has been Rado. Last year, the Swiss brand penned a multi-year partnership to become the official timing partner of the England and Wales Cricket Board across all international fixtures for England men’s and women’s cricket – meaning that the Rado brand was conspicuous during the 2023 Ashes series. Now, in 2024, Rado has signed their first cricket brand ambassador: Australia’s Cameron Green, one of the world’s best all-rounders.
Earlier this week, I flew to Perth for a dinner with Cam in his hometown – and I have to say, he’s one of the nicest celebrities I’ve ever met. Absolutely down to earth, charming and articulate, it’s not a stretch to say that he’s one of Australia’s most impressive young athletes. He was upbeat despite being out for injury and recovering from lower spine surgery. “We spend so much time away from home, so there’s a silver lining to being in recovery: I get to see family!”
Cam explained that the amount of time he spends away from home is the toughest part of the job. “There was a tour to India two years ago. We were there for three and a half months, got a day and a half at home, then flew to England for two months, another day and a half at home, and then South Africa and straight to the World Cup in India! “Indeed, there are few sports where the athletes globetrot more than cricket; Formula 1 is probably the only other one that beats it. But cricket’s global appeal is exactly why Swiss watch brands like Rado are paying attention to the sport.
Cam is one of only a handful of cricketer watch brand ambassadors. The other prominent name is another Aussie, former Test captain Michael Clarke, who’s on the books at Hublot. He’s a canny get from Rado, though. Popular in both Australia as well as in cricket-mad India, where he most recently played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, his affable nature and prodigious skill make him easy to like – and his signing will no doubt help raise Rado’s profile in both countries and beyond. Rado seems to have a thing for Aussie sports stars: their other big brand ambassador is former tennis world No. 1 (and former professional cricketer, actually) Ash Barty.
The only catch to the Rado deal: you won’t catch Cam wearing a Rado when he’s out on the cricket pitch any time soon (which is similar to most athletes in most sports; they won’t wear mechanical watches while competing). “Having something on your wrist can put you a little out of balance while you’re bowling, and can affect your range of wrist motion when you’re batting. I also don’t want to damage my watch!” he joked.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Jamie and The Time+Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: Cartiers and coffee
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He only wishes his grandma had a vintage Crash this cool…
Wrist shot of the week: “the Japanese Calatrava”
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Masaharu Wada, the editor of Hodinkee Japan, has one of the most beautifully curated watch Instagram accounts in the biz. While you can mostly find tasty vintage Rolex and Patek Philippe on his feed, this shot of a Kikuchi Nakagawa Murakumo – or as Wada-san dubs it, the “Japanese Calatrava” – is particularly tasty. I’m pretty sure Borna has a photo of a Murakumo as his laptop background. I don’t blame him.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Norqain Adventure Neverest Glacier Ice Blue
What do you get when you cross a Tudor Black Bay 58 with a Grand Seiko Snowflake? The answer: a Norqain Adventure Neverest Glacier. This stylish and capable tool watch has one of the most underrated dial textures in the game, which looks especially cool in ice blue. Water-resistant to 200 metres, it boasts a blue ceramic bezel insert and a like-Tudor Kenissi-based 70-hour automatic movement that is COSC-certified. Additionally, 10% of the earnings from the sales of Neverest timepieces are donated to the Butterfly Help Project in Nepal helping families of sherpas who have lost their lives in the Himalayan mountains and give their children access to education.
Discover the Norqain Adventure Neverest Glacier Ice Blue in the Time+Tide Shop, either online or in-store at our Melbourne Discovery Studio. Price: A$5,500 (rubber strap), A$5,800 (rubber strap with folding clasp), A$6,100 (bracelet)
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
What influence do Japanese collectors still have on the industry?
Along with the Italians, Japan’s watch collectors have long been considered trendsetters for watch culture at large. But what makes the Japanese watch collecting public so different to other collectors, and (how) do they still influence trends in watchmaking in 2024 and beyond? Laura goes in-depth here.
Why modern finishing is often just a poor excuse for lack of detail
You’ve heard us talk about all sorts of different movement finishing techniques on Time+Tide, whether it’s perlage, anglage, striping, grenaillage, guillochage… We’ve also called out movements that were undecorated – think entry-level microbrands or Seikos using entry-level 4R/NH35s. That’s all well and good, and to be expected to a certain degree. But there’s an increasing number of brands that apply a similar, totally minimal amount of finishing to their movements – think just plain brushing – call it “modern finishing”, call it a day… And it really grinds Borna’s gears. Read his opinion piece here.
Time+Tide brings you the British Watchmakers’ Weekender
Two days, 16 brands, over 500 people in a space not much bigger than your average London flat… Our British Watchmakers’ Weekender, held in our new London Discovery Studio, was a resounding success – and emblematic of the state of the British watch industry. Watch our video recap of the weekend above, or read more here.