Style -- 2 days ago
Words: Charlie Bentley
For many years, Rafael Nadal was averse to wearing a watch on court, assuming it would impede his Grand-Slam-winning performance. Richard Mille knew otherwise, with the skill and expertise to create a sleek, performance-focused timepiece that could survive the twists, turns, smacks and backhands of a Roland-Garros final. In 2010, the RM 027 Tourbillon was born and became, in the King of Clay’s own words, Nadal’s “second skin”.
Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, £POA, richardmille.com
After more than a decade of collaborating with Nadal, Richard Mille, last year, reached a new horological era with the limited-edition RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal. This iteration was driven by an unwavering quest to minimise weight, and a cool 4,000 hours of work were invested in designing the calibre and case, which together weigh only 11.5g.
Such record-breaking weight (at least for the brand itself ) was achieved through the use of Carbon TPT B.4, a material initially used in Formula 1. This new material has a 15 per cent stiffer fibre and a 30 per cent stronger resin than earlier Carbon TPT. The composite is woven in stacks using an exact 70-degree orientation between layers to optimise its strength. Furthermore, this horologe can withstand a G-force of over 14,000. So, if you find yourself flat on your back playing tennis against a more accomplished opponent, be safe in the knowledge that your new luxury timepiece is crafted for the occasion – even if you aren’t.
This feature was taken from our Summer 2024 issue. Read more about it here.
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