Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal Limited Edition
Rafael Nadal powers his way to his 13th Championship at the French Open with Richard Mille’s RM 27-04 Tourbillon on his wrist.
Ten years ago, the young tennis phenom and watchmaker Richard Mille became partners in the name of business, and soon formed an enduring friendship. Custom mechanical watches, made specifically for Rafael Nadal to wear while doing battle, became a reliable element of the tennis great’s uniform. The latest limited-edition timepiece resulting from this partnership was unveiled days before the French Open: the RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal Limited Edition. This new model fits in perfectly with the previous watch collections created for the Spanish champion. “When I’m on the court, Richard and I have one very clear aim: to make sure every piece is extremely light and fits my wrist perfectly. These two features are essential, and the teams have been able to provide them, while also creating watches that are amazingly resistant because tennis can involve very violent arm and wrist movements,” explains Rafael Nadal. “Ever since our partnership started, I’ve always had the feeling I’m still playing tennis without a watch on my wrist. It’s pretty unique! Today, wearing them has become part of my sporting routine and I couldn’t do without them.”
The new RM 27-04 Tourbillon is capable of resisting accelerations of over 12,000 g’s – a record for the Swiss manufacturer—and anyone watching Nadal’s rallies will understand why that strength and resistance is necessary. The case is innovative in its use of an exclusive material for the brand in watchmaking, TitaCarb®. This is a high-performance polymer consisting of 38.5% carbon fiber, resulting in exceptional tensile strength—370 MPa (3,700 kg/cm2). The RM 27-04 balances that tremendous resistance with a lightweight design; the watch weighs just 30 grams, including the strap. Its tourbillon caliber is entirely supported by a micro-blasted mesh comprised of a single braided-steel cable measuring 0.27mm in diameter. This construction, inspired by the same principle as the strings of a tennis racket, is unprecedented in the world of watchmaking.
