THE PERFECT MATCH
Written By: Nathan Irvine
From sceptic to part of the family, Rafael Nadal's unbelievable career has been championed by Richard Mille in more ways than one
The ongoing partnership between Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal and luxury watchmaker Richard Mille may have officially begun in 2010, but the relationship dates back to 2008. In this same year, the imperious Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open and secured his first Wimbledon title; he was contacted, through his agent, by Richard Mille himself.
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This exploratory phone call was to find out if Nadal would be open to being a brand ambassador for the company. Also, would the current tennis world number one wear one of Richard Mille’s exquisite timepieces as he played? Nadal was rightly hesitant. “It was unthinkable for me, as I’d never worn anything on my wrist [whilst playing]”. It appeared the partnership was out of the question.
Undeterred, Mille remained in contact with Nadal and was welcomed into his home in Mallorca in 2010 to pitch his idea in person. “This is the watch I’d like you to wear”, Mille said as he handed Nadal the heavyweight RM 018 Tourbillon Boucheron (2008). Of course, this was a tongue-in-cheek gambit from Mille, who – to the relief of Nadal – brought out a prototype of what would become the ultra-light RM 027 Tourbillon Boucheron Rafael Nadal (2010). But even with this sleek new design on his wrist, Nadal still had his reservations.However, although neither of them knew it at the time, this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.From that moment, the RM 27 line was built and tested in real-time between Nadal and Richard Mille. Rafa wore the watch during training and throughout his daily routines, feeding back information to the creators so they could tweak and tune each iteration. The results of which crafted the lightest tourbillon in 2010 at less than 20g with the strap. This was made possible by lightweight components such as Grilamid glass and the first-ever use of carbon nanotubes. Richard Mille maintained its luxury looks and delivered a sports performance watch fit for one of the greatest athletes ever.
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Since 2010, the RM 27 Tourbillon series has adorned Nadal’s wrist throughout his illustrious career. And the popularity of the line off the court has gone from strength to strength. Six unique models, limited to 50 pieces each, have decorated the RM 27 line and introduced incredible innovations along the way. There’s the cutting-edge shock absorption technology, Carbon TPT® unibody baseplate for more rigidity and resistance, and the glowing yellow and red quartz TPT® to match the RM2 7-03’s Spanish flag-inspired timepiece.
Today, the newly launched RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal continues to break new ground. The sleek black number, which is again limited to 50 pieces, weighs an impossible 11.5g. In context, that’s 20.4g less than the lightest Apple Watch Series 9. It can also withstand a G-force of 14,000. Both are world firsts and records for Richard Mille in the manual winding tourbillon watch category.
There’s a poetic feel to RM 27-05 that seems to capture both the relationship between Nadal and Richard Mille and the Spaniard’s career. After all, this is the conclusion of the line that neatly ties in with Nadal’s retirement at the end of 2024. Returning to the black colorways of the very first collaboration bookends a colorful career and partnership. It’s the last hurrah before Nadal and the RM 27 series embark on a well-earned and successful retirement.
As for the partnership between the two, Nadal and Richard Mille will continue to collaborate in the future, but in different ways. “I’m a lifelong partner [with Richard Mille]. My work will be less intense, so I can attend more events than before,” says Nadal.
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