Richard Mille, one of the iconic brands of the watch world, and tennis legend Rafael Nadal are celebrating the 13th anniversary of their collaboration with new models.
On the one hand, the champion of champions, the sought-after name of countless Grand Slams, the French Opens, the Australian Opens and Wimbledon tournaments, Federer's arch-rival, Rafael Nadal in short, the "King of Grass". On the other hand, Richard Mille, the game-changer of the watch world, the crown jewel of exotic manufacturers, never hesitates to push the limits of technology and design. Long story short, both names are among the best in the world in their fields, and the only word that can be said for the formation that came together with these two is "breathtaking".
If we were a media channel operating in the field of sports, I would like to continue with paragraphs written for Nadal, but I would like to return to the fascinating world of watches and discuss the story from the perspective of RM. Nadal and Mille's paths crossed in 2008. Since then, the watches produced with the cooperation of two famous names continue to work with full performance both on Nadal's wrist during matches and on the wrists of collectors.
We can list the watches produced in partnership with Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille under two categories. The first is the RM 27 series with a tourbillon balance system, and the other is the RM 35 series with its standard type balance movement. 5 versions of the RM 27 models have been made so far. In the RM 35, series 1, 2, and 3, which followed the original model, the RM 35, were dedicated to Nadal.
The RM 27 model was groundbreaking in lightness with its carbon nanotube case. The watch was so light that it could float in water because its density was less than 1gr/cm3. Tourbillon watch, which was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces, increased its reputation by appearing on Nadal's wrist in matches.
The situation was not much different for the RM 27-01. The tourbillon movement of the watch, which created a great comfort for Nadal in tennis competitions with its weight of under 19 grams, was suspended on tensioned steel wires. The model, which offers impact resistance up to 5000G, is limited to 50 units only.
The next model, the 27-03, came to the fore with its 10,000G impact resistance and extraordinary yellow-red carbon TPT case, rather than carbon TPT movement bridges. The model, which was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces, had a hand-wound tourbillon caliber.
The RM 27-04, the last version of the RM 27 family, for now, serves Rafael Nadal and 49 other lucky customers with a special tourbillon movement placed on tensioned wires, just like in a tennis racket. Both the impact resistance and the lightness of the model, which has a case made of carbon-injected polyamide, called TitaCarb, are at the forefront.
When we move on to the standard type balanced RM35 family, we come together with the most popular and preferred watches of the Richard Mille model range. The RM 35-01, which has won hearts with its hand-wound caliber and sporty case, has black and white carbon and quartz TPT case options.
The next model, the RM35-02, has a black or red carbon and quartz TPT case, while the winding caliber has been replaced by the automatic version.
The RM35-03, which has just been introduced and is the most advanced member of the RM35 family, has white and blue colored carbon and quartz TPT cases. The system called “butterfly rotor”, which was used for the first time in the RM35-03 prevents the watch from being damaged by sudden changes in direction thanks to its movable rotor blades. The mechanism, which is activated by the user upon intense physical activity, positions the two blades forming the rotor at an angle of 180 degrees, creating a kind of counterweight and suspending the automatic winding of the watch. This prevents high-accelerated wrist movements from placing a sudden and unexpected load on the caliber.
If you ask “what's next”, the answer is simple: RM 27-05! Let's see what kind of technological madness will we encounter in this model?
