Some loves never end, yet this time it seems quite the opposite. Fourteen years after the release of the first timepiece made for the tennis champion, Richard Mille decides to close the circle with the RM 27-05, a timepiece in honor of the tennis champion, which fully echoes the brand’s aesthetic and quality standards.
The Rafa Nadal Editions
Nadal was the first tennis player to wear a RM on his wrist in 2010, pioneering this phenomenon, which over the years has spread to others of his peers. Previously, in fact, it seemed impossible to play the sport with a watch on the wrist, because of the shocks and shocks it could suffer, consequently causing it to break. The only watch suitable and with these characteristics could only be Richard Mille, a brand that has accustomed us to amazing products, thanks to the use of materials that are always on the cutting edge, with very high quality standards.
RM 027
The first watch made for Nadal, was the RM 027, a watch equipped with a tourbillon that already 14 years ago presented itself as disruptive in this field. A limited series of 50 pieces, its weight was only 20 grams including the strap, with the case made of carbon.
The real novelty was the movement, which was made of titanium and an alloy called LITAL, containing mainly lithium, which gives excellent strength properties without adding practically any weight, so much so that it is used in the aerospace industry for building airplanes, helicopters and satellites.
RM 27-01
In 2013, another masterpiece was unveiled, winning the record for the world’s lightest watch, the RM 27-01. The peculiarity of this watch, with its meager weight of 18.83 grams including the strap, was the fact that it had the movement, again made of titanium and LITAL, suspended as it was held in place by cables. This new way of supporting the movement, takes inspiration from civil engineering, and allows the watch to withstand up to 5,000g, or up to 5 thousand times its weight.
RM 27-02
Introduced in 2015, this RM 27-02 brings with it a major revolution. The carrure made of carbon TPT, an alloy patented by the brand, is made with already inside the skeletonized plate called “unibody,” allowing the watch to save weight and space. The outer case certainly attracts attention with this very special texture given by the alternation of quartz and carbon fibers, making this timepiece unique.
RM 27-03
This is perhaps the most famous Richard Mille for Nadal, given the vividness of the case representing the Spanish flag, i.e., the tennis player’s country of origin. Introduced in 2017, the peculiarity of this timepiece is that it can withstand up to a force of 10,000g, thanks to the use of innovative materials entirely developed by the brand. In honor of the Spanish champion, the bridges were designed to recall the face of a bull, the symbol of Spain. Completing the watch is the presence of a tennis ball in place of the winding crown, which offers a nice detail to the timepiece.
RM 27-04
This is the penultimate declination of the collaboration between Nadal and RM. Introduced in 2020, just by looking at the skeletonized dial, one can immediately guess the type of sport it is aimed at, clearly tennis. The movement, in fact, is supported and suspended thanks to a weave of strings, just as is the case with a tennis racket; similarly, the watchmaker stretches a single string so as to create this weave.
It could not fail to further improve the case, which in fact was made of grade 5 titanium, composed of 90% titanium, 6% aluminum, and 4% vanadium. This material is truly incredible, with properties unique to its kind, so much so that it is also used in the aerospace, aviation and automotive industries.
RM 27-05
But now, we come to him, the RM 27-05. Richard Mille decided to end this collaboration in the best possible way, presenting the lightest and most durable mechanical tourbillon watch ever produced in the world.
Cassa
By now it is clear, the leitmotif of this collection is the avant-garde materials used by the brand, which in each edition has raised the bar higher and higher.
This RM 27-05 is no different, in fact the same techniques seen so far on the ‘big brothers’ are used but further updated. The case is made of TPT B4 carbon, the same as that used on Formula1 cars, which took 5 years to develop, in which hundreds of parallel carbon layers or filaments no more than 50 microns in diameter are impregnated with a brand new high-performance resin, ensuring very strong mechanical and impact resistance with an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.
The peculiarity of the case, lies in the fact that it is one-piece, inside of which protrusions are made during production that will have the function of supporting the movement, without the aid of any screws, keeping it firm against the case back. This allowed the watch to reach a featherweight of 11.5 grams excluding the strap, and withstand up to a force of 14,000g.
Movement
The marriage of technique and engineering, is highlighted to the fullest in the movement. It, in fact, has been updated with the introduction of the flying tourbillon, which is a classic tourbillon but without the front support, thus saving material and consequently weight. The latter has always been a discriminating factor in this necklace dedicated to Nadal, and in the latest model it finds its peak, resulting in only 3.79 grams, a world record, thanks to the use of titanium and TPT carbon, an alloy patented by the brand.
All of this has been possible thanks to the very high level of innovation brought by the Les Breuleux brand, which from the very beginning has constantly sought excellence for its products, leaving nothing to chance, taking care of every detail.
Even in the caliber, every surface has been finished by hand, from bevels to polish, so as to offer a product not only of excellent construction, but also of workmanship.
Price and availability
The list price of the Richard Mille RM 27-05 is € 1,150,000, and the model is limited to 80 pieces.
Final thoughts
Richard Mille said that this is the beginning of a new phase of the partnership with the Spanish champion so who knows, maybe during the Olympics this summer, we will see Nadal with a new Richard Mille, what do you say?
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