Richard Mille, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, added an aesthetic timepiece to Rafael Nadal's collection of watches ahead of the Spaniard's anticipated tennis return.
Nadal has endorsed Richard Mille's watches for over a decade. Having first struck their alliance in 2008 after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, their partnership was formally documented in 2010.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is one of the fewest players to wear a watch while playing. Nadal and the Swiss watchmaker have worked together to craft various designs in the past decade before they launched a custom-made collection called "Baby Nadal" in 2021.
This latest watch is called the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, inspired by Nadal's Tourbillon watches he has worn in previous years. The official unveiling took place on Wednesday on the company's official website and social media platforms.
"In our respective domains, we both seek to achieve excellence. We speak the same language, Richard and I
This is the fourth watch in the RM035 collection, and it took three years of development and innovation work and will cost a whopping $238,000. It comes in three versions, namely blue and white quartz TPT, carbon TPT, and white quartz TPT.
The automatic winding system, christened "The Butterfly Rotor," gives the wearer ultimate control of the rotor's geometry and winding speed based on their physical mobility and lifestyle.
Despite its immaculate creation and attention to detail, the watch is as light as a feather because of its composition of carbon and quartz, which are lightweight materials that work perfectly in tandem with the grade 5 titanium movement baseplate.
"At Richard Mille, the watch has always been considered a practical accessory that should be useful and totally reliable, whatever its owner may be doing."
"Inspired by the collection of RM 027 Tourbillon watches worn by Rafa Nadal on the tennis courts, the RM 035 Collection of ‘baby Nadal’ watches has been designed as a concentration of technology at the service of performance and those who deliver it. To be worn without moderation and without compromise."