The Wind Up: Rado’s Cameron Green Collaboration Takes a Big Swing and Connects

Hello and welcome to another instalment of The Wind Up. For those who are new here, this is Man of Many’s rundown of the horological encounters, events, and releases that have caught my eye over the past seven days. As for me, I’m Rob, the Man of Many team member most likely to sport an unsightly watch tan line, and I’m happy to be back with you once again.

This has been quite a big week, as I’ve travelled the breadth of Australia in order to bring you a very special “On the Wrist” inclusion featuring Rado. To do so, I endured the cuteness of Rottnest Island’s quokkas. I faced off against Australian Test all-rounder Cam Green in an intense session of beach cricket. And I copped the kind of sunburn only the Western Australian sun can dish out (hence the watch tan line). This week also incuded spending some time with the NOMOS Glashütte Metro neomatik 41 Update Ice Blue, hitting Sydney Harbour with the good folks at Vacheron Constantin, and enduring the usual cavalcade of watch releases.

As always, there’s no time like the present and not a second to waste, so let’s crack on with the latest edition of Man of Many’s The Wind Up.

On the Wrist: Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition

Despite being Swiss-made, Rado’s new collaboration with ambassador and Aussie Test cricketer Cam Green is probably the most Australian watch of all time. It celebrates our nation’s obsession with the bat and ball and I imagine it’s a watch that only approaches maximum aura when worn to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test.

With a dial that echoes a bird’s-eye view of a cricket pitch (specifically the Adelaide Oval, Green revealed in a chat we had) and dark red details that echo the colour of a Test ball, the Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition is far from subtle. In fact, it encroaches on cheesy, but it absolutely works.

Essentially the watch equivalent of the baggy green, there’s something indefinably retro about it. It would have looked right at home on the wrist of legendary Australian cricketer and commentator Richie Benaud or beloved larrikin prime minister Bob Hawke. This is something Rado and Green should both be very proud of. To borrow a word so often used by Benaud, it’s “marvellous”.

The watch’s details ensure it feels like an unabashed celebration. Not just of the 459th male player to represent Australia in Test cricket (Green), but Australian cricket more broadly. The gradient dial, which becomes an almost fluorescent yellow at its centre and fades to a deep, dark green at its edges, instantly transports me to the summers of my childhood, spent crowded around the TV with family and friends to watch Aussie greats of the past take on England, India, the West Indies, and more. It’s boldly eye-catching and hosts a series of details that make this watch a superb love letter to the Gentleman’s Game.

For example, there are three small gold-coloured dots below the 12 o’clock position, representing stumps. And the minute track references the stitching of a cricket ball. Finally, as alluded to above, the red backplate behind Rado’s signature anchor logo and the red-tipped seconds hand continue the ball motif.

The green-and-gold theme carries through to the bezel. Its yellow gold-coloured PVD-coated steel houses a green high-tech ceramic insert (Rado is known as the Master of Materials, after all). This is both handsome and practical, as the ceramic should help to keep the scratches of daily wear at bay.

At 42 mm across and 12.3 mm thick, it’s not an insubstantial watch, but it’s highly wearable nonetheless. My 6.7-inch wrist accommodated it fine. Plus, those proportions feel entirely reasonable given it’s water-resistant up 300 metres. It’s safe to say there were no concerns about diving into the water to make a catch during our beach cricket session.

Inside is Rado’s R763 automatic, running on an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring and adjusted in five positions for enhanced accuracy. The 80-hour power reserve means you can take it off on a Friday evening and it’ll still be ticking when you pick it up the following week. That said, this is definitely the kind of watch you’ll want to wear on weekends during a cricket-filled summer.

Much like the man whose signature and silhouette adorn its display caseback, this watch boasts genuine all-rounder credentials. This is in no small part thanks to the trio of straps that accompany it. First, you get a two-tone rice-grain bracelet with brushed steel outer links and polished gold-coloured centre links (I imagine this one would have been a hit with Benaud and Hawkie). Second, there’s a black rubber option that would be the best for any surf-adjacent spells with the bat and ball. And finally, it comes with a NATO-style textile strap, which is my pick and really ups the green-and-gold aesthetic.

At AUD$4,700, this isn’t an impulse buy, and it won’t be for everyone, but with a limited run of 459 pieces, it doesn’t pretend to be. Rado’s Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition is a charmingly unapologetic exercise in green and gold that arrives with a tonne of personality. It’s a watch that shouldn’t work, yet absolutely does. I can only hope the Australian Test side replicates a win this big over the coming months.

Rado Captain Cook x Cameron Green Limited Edition Key Specs:

• Reference: R32138318
• Case: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 42.0 x 48.6 x 12.3 mm
• Bezel: Yellow gold-coloured PVD-coated steel with green high-tech ceramic insert
• Water resistance: 300 metres
• Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire
• Dial: Green gradient sunray
• Movement: Rado calibre R763, automatic, 25 jewels
• Power reserve: 80 hours
• Strap: Two-tone rice-grain bracelet, green and gold NATO-style textile strap, and black rubber strap
• Limited edition: 459 pieces
• Price: AUD$4,700

Under the Cuff: NOMOS Glashütte Metro neomatik 41 Update Ice Blue

In partnership with NOMOS Glashütte

NOMOS Glashütte has never been a brand to shout, but this is particularly true of its delightfully understated Metro neomatik 41 Update Ice Blue. Here we have a watch that makes its case quietly but firmly, and after a few days on the wrist, colour me convinced.

The dial is one of its strongest arguments. Finished in a metallic ice blue, it shifts with the changing light throughout the day, evolving from that pale and frosty hue to something closer to brushed steel. The brand says this is meant to echo the glass and steel of city architecture, and that certainly checks out. It’s a refreshing change from the cavalcade of brands that proclaim to have drawn inspiration from the beauty of nature, while working in the medium of, well, glass and steel.

White and grey accents keep things restrained, while the recessed seconds subdial, with its azurage finish and light blue hand, is the kind of detail that only whispers to you after a few days of living with it. Once you tune into its frequency, it’s delightful.

I found this watch’s method for displaying the date of particular interest. Forget a window, here NOMOS deploys a ring date that wraps around the dial’s perimeter. This keeps the entire month in view, with teal markings framing the current date. It’s more subtly elegant than a standard window, and it can be adjusted quickly in both directions, which spares you unnecessary fiddling.

The watch is also impressively slim. At just 9.1 mm thick (and 40.5 mm across, with a 47.5-mm lug-to-lug), it slips beneath a shirt cuff without complaint. The rounded lugs and narrow bezel add to this compact package, while the sapphire crystal, domed in two different radii, provides an added touch of visual interest. The French-made woven dark grey textile strap is comfortable and lends the whole affair a relaxed, contemporary feel.

Flip the watch over, and you can observe the in-house DUW 6101, a 42-jewel movement with a patented date mechanism and a power reserve of up to 50 hours. It’s an accomplished piece of engineering, and with its Glashütte ribbing, NOMOS perlage, and golden engravings, it’s a pleasure to view through the display caseback.

At AUD$8,150, this is a serious watch with a serious pedigree, but few pieces at this level have the confidence to play it so low-key. It’s cool, calm, and wonderfully considered. An excellent choice if you like your watches understated but never dull.

NOMOS Glashütte Metro neomatik 41 Update Ice Blue Key Specs:

• Reference: 1166
• Case: Stainless steel
• Diameter: 40.5 mm
• Thickness: 9.1 mm
• Lug-to-lug: 47.5 mm
• Water resistance: 50 metres
• Crystal: Domed sapphire
• Dial: Galvanised, light blue metallic finish with teal, white and grey accents, recessed azurage seconds subdial and ring date display
• Hands: Rhodium-plated, with light blue seconds hand
• Movement: NOMOS calibre DUW 6101, automatic, 42 jewels, with patented quick date adjustment in both directions
• Power reserve: Up to 50 hours
• Strap: Dark grey woven textile strap with quick-change spring bars and stainless steel winged clasp
• Price: AUD$8,150

An Evening With Vacheron Constantin

On Tuesday, a small contingent from the Man of Many office was invited to join Vacheron Constantin for an evening exploring its 2026 theme of “Explore All Ways Possible”, which included going hands-on with some of the most stunning watches being made today.

We started at Sydney’s Walsh Bay where a rather fancy yacht awaited to take us on a harbour tour. As a lifelong Sydneysider, I can confirm this never gets old. As we cruised under the Harbour Bridge and around the Opera House, dark clouds gathered ominously, bringing with them a spectacular (if slightly concerning) light show. Fortunately, our skipper knew there was no point in fighting Mother Nature. And so, we quickly headed back to shore, making it indoors just as the skies opened up.

Inside, we found an exceptional exhibiiton exploring the history of one of the greatest watchmaker’s the world has ever known. Much like strolling through a museum, we perused the timepieces at our leisure as Vacheron’s expert staff provided insights into the history and artistry of each piece. Ultimately, we all gathered in a room overlooking the harbour, where we were able to try on some of the brand’s current crop of timepieces. As you might imagine, those in attendance leapt at the opportunity.

My personal highlight? Donning the Overseas Tourbillon pictured above. Red-dialled watches are a dubious proposition at the best of times, but this piece is an absolute marvel.

Piaget Launches Andy Warhol “Camouflage” Limited Edition

Piaget’s latest addition to its Andy Warhol line draws on Warhol’s 1986 Camouflage series of self-portraits. With Piaget having helped to popularise stone marquetry dials in the 1960s, it’s fitting that this limited series of 86 uses the technique to pay tribute to Warhol’s original works.

Here, the maison has deployed sodalite and turquoise, alongside yelow and polished rosew gold. Much like the artist who inspired it, the watch boasts a playfulness that in no way undermines its formidable status.

With its cushion case crafted from white gold and an automatic in-house calibre 501P1 that measures in at just 3.63 mm thick, this is a fitting new addition to Piaget’s lauded Warhol line.

In Other Watch News…

The Sonic Delights of Audemars Piguet

This past week saw Audemars Piguet release five new references. Within that, a trio of new Minute Repeater Supersonnerie really caught my eye. In particular, a pair of 42-mm Royal Oaks in titanium and 18-karat pink gold.

Both watches are built around the maison’s hand-wound Calibre 2953. It features patented acoustic technology, a 72-hour power reserve, and 20 metres of water resistance. That’s not much protection from the wet stuff. However, it’s enough to keep raindrops at bay while you grapple with your (undoubtedly very expensive) umbrella.

While minute repeaters act as a more acute demonstration than even regular watches of horology’s practical obsolensence in a world where everyone has a smartphone (if we don’t need them to tell the time, we certainly don’t need them to do so audibly), all of that goes out the window when you’re confronted with something this exquisitely crafted.

Casio Goes Understated and Automatic

Following the much-hyped (and justifiably, I must say) launch of its G-Shock 2500 Series “CasioNaut” line, Casio returns with a more understated but no less welcome release.

It’s the first automatic watch in the brand’s mainline collection. A wonderfully understated three-hand proposition with a 38 mm titanium case with a titanium bezel framing a textured dial. It features a date window at three o’clock and luminous numerals. Simple and handsome.

There are five models across the range with prices starting from AUD$470. It seems Casio is on something of a roll.