Tag: RM 027

Nadal Hits The Circuit With His All New RM 027 Tourbillon Timepiece

| May 27, 2010 | 1 Reply

Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal

Last month we told you about a brand new timepiece created by luxury watch-maker Richard Mille for superstar tennis player Rafael Nadal. What makes this piece truly special (besides the $500k+ price tag) is that Nadal will actually wear it for every single match he plays, not just at charity events or for press conferences.

Official Debut
Earlier this week the all new RM 027 Tourbillon made it’s official debut on court at the 2010 Roland Gaross Tournament and judging by the look on Rafa’s face he could not be happier with his new watch even going as far as to say:

“It is an honor for me that someone like Richard has chosen me as one of his ambassadors. I know that he has worked very hard to be able to create this very special watch. I am honored and I am sure it will be a special and successful partnership.”

All indications so far suggest that he’s right, with the announcement of this incredible new partnership creating a huge buzz all over the internet. We were even asked for our thoughts by the New York Times!

Whilst Rafa may be very humble about being selected as an ambassador, this would seem to be a very intelligent move by Richard Mille. The luxury watch industry is highly competitive and so it is a constant battle to attract the attention (and the bank accounts) of your target market, regardless of what you have created in the past.

RM 027 Tourbillon RN

This piece may not be for everybody but it does showcase the extraordinary talents of Mr. Mille and in doing so gives a stunning endorsement to the other pieces in his collection. In addition, this bold move has created a huge buzz both in the industry itself as well as among the general population, generating invaluable publicity for the brand.

Although some of this can be attributed to the hefty price tag of $525,000 attached to the highly limited edition of just 50 pieces, the real hype relates to the fact that Rafa is actually willing to wear the watch during games. As any tennis enthusiast will tell you any perceptible shift in weight can really throw off a player’s whole technique.

To combat this Mille has created what is quite possibly the most expensive watch ever made without the use of traditional precious metals like gold or platinum. The RM 027 RN is one of the lightest tourbillion watches ever designed and weighs in at a meager 20g (including the strap). To make this possible the movement base-plate is crafted from titanium and LITAL alloy and the case is a special composite, containing large amounts of carbon.

The Final Word
Regardless of your personal opinions on the design or materials used, it has to be acknowledged that the fact that Mille was able to create such a delicate mechanism that is robust enough to be worn on the wrist of one the most active athletes in the world (and function reliably!) is truly remarkable.

Will it sell more watches though? Only time will tell.



Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon – Coming To A Court Near You

| April 2, 2010 | 23 Replies

Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon

In their quest to take watch-making to new levels (courts?) super high-end watch maker Richard Mille, in conjunction with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, have created the all new RM 027 Tourbillon. A watch that is so light (just 20 grams with the strap on!) that Mr Nadal will actually be wearing it when he plays on court!

Now if you know anything about tennis you’ll instantly realize what a big deal this is as any slight shift in weight on a player can dramatically change their game. Therefore, if this partnership was ever going to succeed it was imperative that the company produce a piece that satisfied Rafa’s strict requirements.

And so they did.

Proving A Point
It’s important to realize that making a watch lighter, especially one as complicated as the RM 027  Tourbillon, is not just a matter of using lighter weight materials. It still needs to be accurate and reliable, as well as be able to withstand the shocks and impacts of everyday use, which in this case are greatly magnified given that the piece is strapped to one of the strongest, most active wrists in the world.

However, Richard Mille was sure it could be done. After all, they had already achieved similar success with the RM 006 (42 g without strap) and the RM 009 (29 g without strap) so this next step was simply the logical progression in the process. That didn’t mean it would be easy though.

Then again, it wasn’t like the brand was new to this area of watchmaking.

Richard Mille has been experimenting with the concept of weight reduction in haute horology since the very conception of the brand, although this adventurous spirit was not always embraced by the wider watch community. Mr. Mille himself acknowledges this,saying;

“When I first produced tourbillons with titanium and ALUSIC cases and carbon baseplates, I was fighting against perceived value. A titanium watch could not be a luxurious timepiece as it did not weigh enough. However mentalities rapidly changed and gradually with time amateurs soon appreciated the extreme lightness of my watches whilst being associated with the best technology.”

As you can see, this way of thinking has not changed much since he first set out to make lighter, better timepieces.

Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon

The RM Tourbillion – Spartan Style
It was this enduring fascination with the combination of technology, performance and practical aspects in a wristwatch, that drove him to prove once more that an extreme reduction in weight could be achieved with total efficiency and accuracy.

The movement baseplate of the RM 027 Tourbillon is made from Titanium and LITAL® alloy, a high lithium content alloy containing aluminum, copper, magnesium and zirconium, possessing a density of 2.55. The addition of Lithium, one of the lightest elements, to the alloy mixture, provides great strength without adding unnecessary weight. It is for this same reason that this particular alloy is also used in the aerospace industry in the construction of the Airbus A380, helicopters, rockets and satellites, as well as in F1 racing cars.

The result is one of the world’s lightest mechanical tourbillon wristwatches with a movement weight of just a mere 3.83 grams.

The RM 027 watchcase, composed of a composite containing large amounts of carbon, provides a tough and resilient enclosure for the tourbillon movement at its center. The back bezel and caseband are monobloc to ensure total lightness. The glass; the bezel and the flange in carbon have remarkable properties of stiffness and torsional rigidity.

However, the biggest endorsement of all is that this piece has been tried and tested by a man renowned for refusing to compromise when it comes to his sport and his performance. The fact that Rafael Nadal has agreed to wear this piece in all of his matches says far more than any technical specifications ever could.

The RM 027 Tourbillon will be produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces with an ultra light strap in polycarbonate and is expected to be priced upwards of $500,000, meaning you will need to be a superstar also if you ever hope to own one.

The Final Word
Whilst this piece may not rank at the top of my list for the super expensive, high-end luxury watches, I can certainly admire and respect the technical achievements that it represents. Sure it probably cost ten times more than Roger Federer’s Rolex (and then some) but at least Rafa can use the hypnotic effect of the rotating tourbillion to calm him down during intense matches with his watch-less archrival.