By Brent Robillard
An interesting collaboration
Let me just begin with this: Cricket is a mystery to me. I am only somewhat comforted by the fact that I am not alone. It is widely considered to be one of the world’s most complex sports. But it is also one of the world’s most watched and played–second only to football (ahem, that’s soccer). That little factoid goes a long way to explaining the new Rado Captain Cook x European Cricket Special Edition.
Yes, there is a story here. Look closely and the dial becomes a cricket pitch viewed from above. Three small golden dots above the Rado logo represent the stumps. The familiar moving anchor has been transformed into a tiny cricket ball, complete with the unmistakable red of cricket-ball leather. Even the tip of the seconds hand carries that same red accent.
But if you knew none of that, you could simply look at this watch and think: that’s a really good-looking Captain Cook. Admittedly, when I first saw the renders, I thought it was the Captain Cook Two-Tone Automatic. And that, ultimately, is what makes this particular collaboration work.
I have been on record for some time saying that the Captain Cook is my favourite collection in the Rado catalogue. It is an unusual thing for a brand as closely associated with high-tech ceramic and contemporary design as Rado to have a vintage-inspired dive watch as one of its strongest products, but the Captain Cook has always managed to bridge those two worlds remarkably well.
This new European Cricket edition doesn’t fundamentally alter the formula. Instead, it uses the familiar 42mm Captain Cook two-tone blue-and-gold colourway, adds a handful of details for those who know what they are looking at, and connects the watch to a sport that is considerably bigger—and increasingly more global—than many North Americans might realize.
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Cricket Is Much Bigger Than Most North Americans Realize
Earlier this year, I was in Neuchâtel for Rado’s celebration of 40 years of high-tech ceramic. During the festivities, I had the opportunity to meet Smriti Mandhana, Rado’s newly appointed Friend of the Brand.
For many readers in Canada and the United States, that name might not immediately register. Mandhana is the vice-captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team and, in 2026, led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the Women’s Premier League championship. She was also part of the Indian side that won the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Rado describes her as one of the most influential figures in Indian women’s cricket, and it is difficult to argue with that assessment.
The experience was a useful reminder that the sporting landscape looks very different depending upon where you stand.
The International Cricket Council estimates the global cricket audience at roughly 2.5 billion people. That makes cricket one of the largest sports on the planet, yet its cultural footprint is still relatively easy to underestimate in North America.
In India, cricket is not simply another sport. It is woven into popular culture, national identity and everyday life. And Mandhana is not simply an accomplished professional athlete. She is a major cultural figure in one of the world’s most important consumer markets. That is particularly relevant to Rado.
In February 2026, Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard told Business Today that India had become the brand’s number-one market globally, ahead of Switzerland, the United States, the UAE and China. He also said India represents a double-digit percentage of Rado’s global sales and that the brand holds more than 50 percent of the market in the $1,000-5,000 USD segment. Rado currently has 34 boutiques and approximately 210 points of sale in India. Those are remarkable numbers.
And they help explain why Rado’s increasingly visible relationship with cricket makes considerably more sense than it might initially appear from a North American perspective.
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Rado and Cricket
The relationship isn’t new. Rado became the Official Timing Partner of the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2023, covering England’s international men’s and women’s fixtures. In 2025, the brand expanded that relationship by becoming Official Timing Partner of European Cricket.
The European Cricket partnership is particularly interesting because it represents an effort to help grow the game beyond its traditional strongholds.
Rado’s current cricket roster includes South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, alongside Mandhana.
There is an interesting symmetry here. Cricket is a sport that dates to the 16th century and it has evolved dramatically without losing its fundamental character. Rado has done something similar with the Captain Cook.
The original Captain Cook appeared in 1962, at a time when Rado was beginning to establish the material-focused identity that would eventually become one of the defining characteristics of the brand. The original was a genuine dive watch, complete with a rotating bezel and Rado’s distinctive anchor beneath 12 o’clock.
After disappearing from the catalogue for decades, the Captain Cook returned in 2017. The modern 42mm version followed in 2019, with 300 metres of water resistance, and the collection has since expanded into one of the most recognizable parts of Rado’s contemporary lineup. High-tech ceramic versions followed in 2021.
However, the brand has continued to issue stainless steel models to this day with iterations like the Rado Captain Cook 39mm Ocean Ready, the Captain Cook Automatic and the Shimmering Intensity from earlier this year. They even released another sporting collaboration with last year’s Rado Captain Cook x Tennis Limited Edition.
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A Captain Cook First, Cricket Watch Second
The first thing I noticed when I put the watch on was that it doesn’t scream “cricket.” I don’t think of this as a criticism.
The dial is a rich blue gradient, darker around its perimeter and subtly lighter toward the centre. It works beautifully with the polished blue high-tech ceramic bezel insert, while the yellow-gold-coloured hands, indices, crown and bezel markings give the watch a warmth that you don’t always get from the stainless-steel Captain Cook.
It is a handsome combination. The cricket references are there, but they are deliberately restrained. You have to know what you’re looking at to see all of it. I suspect that is exactly the point.
A more literal cricket-themed watch could easily have become novelty merchandise. This one doesn’t. Remove the European Cricket branding on the caseback, and what remains is a very attractive Captain Cook that would make sense anywhere.
That makes it considerably more wearable. At 42 mm in diameter and 12.3 mm thick, the proportions are familiar territory for the modern Captain Cook. The stainless-steel case has the characteristic compact, muscular shape and stadium-style bezel that give the collection its personality.
And despite its considerable 300-metre water resistance, the watch is surprisingly versatile. The Captain Cook is, after all, a dive watch. But it has never really been limited to diving. I have always thought of it as one of those watches that can move effortlessly between jeans and a jacket, a day at the cottage and dinner in the city. This version reinforces that idea.
Three Watches in One
The watch arrives with Rado’s EasyClip system and three strap options: the stainless-steel bracelet with yellow-gold-coloured PVD-coated centre links, a dark blue and gold NATO-style textile strap, and a black rubber strap.
The bracelet gives the Captain Cook a more refined character. The gold-coloured centre links pick up the hands, indices and crown. It is probably the combination I would choose when the watch is being worn as a traditional everyday piece. While the clasp is a deployant butterfly style–and without a comfort adjust system–it is thin and discreet.
The NATO-style strap is where the cricket connection becomes most obvious. Its dark blue and gold colours tie directly into the European Cricket identity, but even here the effect is more sporting than promotional.
Then there is the rubber strap. This is the obvious choice for water, summer, travel and anything else that involves actually treating the Captain Cook like the tool watch it is.
All three can be changed in seconds, and Rado supplies a pouch to keep the alternatives together.
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A Serious Mechanical Watch Beneath the Cricket References
Inside is Rado’s calibre R763 automatic movement. The specifications are solid. The movement offers an 80-hour power reserve, uses an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring and is tested in five positions for accuracy.
That 80-hour reserve means you could leave it on the dresser Friday evening and there is a good chance it will still be running when Monday morning arrives.
The Nivachron hairspring also provides increased resistance to magnetic fields, a useful characteristic in a world filled with laptops, phones, tablets and other electronic devices. Water resistance is 300 metres.
Cricket Comes to Canada
There is another reason I think this particular Rado is arriving at an interesting moment. Cricket is growing in North America. That isn’t necessarily news to anyone living in the Greater Toronto Area.
The GTA has long had a substantial cricket community, with deep roots in Caribbean, South Asian and other immigrant communities. But the sport is increasingly moving beyond those communities and into the broader Canadian sporting conversation.
Cricket Canada describes cricket as one of the country’s fastest-growing sports, and the organization has been steadily building commercial and grassroots partnerships. TD became the Official Bank of Cricket Canada in 2024, while Coca-Cola Canada also entered into a partnership aimed at supporting the sport’s growth and accessibility.
The national team is also becoming more visible. Canada made its debut at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 and returned for the 2026 tournament. Toronto hosted the Americas regional qualifier for the 2026 tournament in June 2025, bringing international cricket directly to the GTA.
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And professional domestic cricket is developing as well. Cricket Canada granted a long-term licence for the GT20 competition in 2025, with the stated goal of helping establish a sustainable professional cricket ecosystem in the country.
Then there is the elephant in the room—or perhaps the batsman at the crease? Cricket is coming back to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028. The ICC has already described the construction of the cricket stadium in Pomona as a major milestone for the sport’s return to the Olympics after 128 years.
That could be transformative for the sport in North America. For Canadians, particularly those living in and around the GTA, it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe cricket as an obscure foreign sport. It is part of the fabric of one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas, it has a national team competing on the international stage, and it is entering a period of unprecedented visibility on this continent.
Which brings us back to the watch.
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Final Thougts
The blue gradient dial is beautiful. The gold accents give the watch a slightly dressier character than some of the more overtly tool-oriented Captain Cook executions. The blue ceramic bezel adds depth. The red seconds hand is just enough colour. And then there are those three tiny dots. If you know, you know. If you don’t, who cares?
That is my favourite part of the watch. The Captain Cook x European Cricket doesn’t look like a piece of sports merchandise. It looks like a Captain Cook that happens to contain a secret handshake for cricket fans.
At $4,000 CAD, it also occupies an interesting position within the collection. It is more expensive than the standard 42 mm stainless-steel Captain Cook, currently priced at $3,500 CAD, but considerably less than some of the high-tech ceramic versions. And for someone who follows cricket, there is an additional layer of meaning hiding in plain sight.
That may be the best description of this watch. It is a Captain Cook first. It is a European Cricket watch second. And it is a very good-looking watch, full stop.
The Rado Captain Cook is available through the brand’s online boutique and ADs around the world.
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About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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