Tennis legend Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille expand on their enduring partnership with a new, record-breaking RM 27-05 timepiece.
MALLORCA, SPAIN – MARCH 20: Tennisman Rafael Nadal (Rafa) poses for a portrait for Richard Mille on March 20, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Hamish Brown/Contour by Getty Images)
In the world of horology, few partnerships are as profound as the friendship between Richard Mille and tennis legend Rafael Nadal. It’s the kind of bond that very few watchmakers can boast of, and most are envious of.
Any Rafael Nadal collab with Richard Mille has always stood out as highly covetable horological marvels of exceptional performance and design. Their latest watch, the exquisitely designed RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal watch by Richard Mille, takes things to another level.
The RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafeal Nadal watch by Richard Mille
Record-breaker
The watch is the product of a decade-long innovative journey. And it reveals an intimate fusion between avant-garde technology and traditional aesthetic sensibilities. Born from a strong mutual understanding and shared aspirations between Nadal and Richard Mille, the watch encapsulates the very essence of their friendship: high performance, lightness, and impeccable style. In fact, this RM 27-05 model holds a two-fold record. One, it weighs just 11.5 grams (excluding the strap). Then two, it can withstand a staggering G-force of 14,000. making it a paragon in the realm of manual winding tourbillon watches.
Innovative Material
Part of that achievement comes courtesy of a new composite, Carbon TPT® B.4. It’s a material that offers greater density, stiffness, and strength than previous composites. Furthermore, it contributes to the high-performance architecture of the watch. Because of it, Richard Mille is able to create a visually captivating X-shaped ridge on the case back for the movement to rest on.
The new Carbon TPT® B.4 composites enables the use of an X-shaped ridge on the case back of the RM27-05 where its movement is rested on.
And that movement lives up to the remarkable dynamism and endurance of an athlete of Nadal’s sporting prowess. For this RM 27-05 watch is powered by the ultra-thin RMUP-01 calibre, that springs to life with a power reserve of 55 hours. Also, the movement incorporates a flying tourbillon that oscillates at a frequency of 3 Hz. And features an optimally skeletonised and hand-finished baseplate in PVD-treated titanium, with bridges made of grade 5 titanium and Carbon TPT®.
An Enduring Friendship
But this wrist candy is not only a beacon of technical luxury. It’s also a new chapter in the friendship between Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille. “My relationship with the brand and with Richard personally has undoubtedly been a pillar of my sporting career,” the King of Clay shares in press notes. “We’ve had an exceptional journey together as they’ve supported me in all aspects of my life, and I hope that this bond continues for many more years to come.”
PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 25: Tennisman Rafael Nadal (Rafa) poses for a portrait shoot for Richard Mille on March 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Thomas Laisné/Contour by Getty Images)
The duo have helped to transform the watchmaking industry with their shared passion. The RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafeal Nadal now stands as a proclamation of this legacy. And it foreshadows the promising path of future creations.
