If you watched Rafael Nadal play at the recent Roland-Garros, you would have seen Richard Mille’s latest triumph securely strapped to the Spaniard’s wrist. The RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal is the result of a collaboration between the Swiss watch manufacturer and the tennis legend, which began back in 2008.
“I still remember the day in 2008 when Richard contacted me to discuss working together. It was unthinkable for me, as I’d never worn anything on my wrist. It all came together in 2010, when he came to visit me in Mallorca. As a joke, he first presented me with a very heavy platinum watch. When I reacted as you might expect, he quickly held up a prototype of the RM 027, a surprisingly light watch with spectacular lines,” recalls Nadal.
The RM 027 debuted at Roland-Garros in 2010 and gained recognition for its micromechanical achievements. Weighing less than 20g, equivalent to about 10 small paper clips, the watch was exceptionally lightweight. It featured a carbon composite case and a manual winding tourbillon built on a titanium baseplate with bridges made from LITAL, a high-tech metal alloy comprising aluminium, copper, magnesium, and zirconium. LITAL is widely recognised for its lightweight yet high-performance characteristics and was previously used only for aircraft parts, helicopters, missiles, and satellites.
“My relationship with the brand and with Richard personally has undoubtedly been a pillar of my sporting career. We’ve had an exceptional journey together as they’ve supported me in all aspects of my life, and I hope that this bond continues for many more years to come.”
Rafael Nadal
Over the next 14 years, the RM 027 line expanded, leading to the recent release of the RM 27-05. It weighs only 11.5g without its strap and is limited to 80 pieces. It features a case made of Carbon TPT B.4, an optimised anisotropic material developed with North Thin Ply Technology. Comparing earlier Carbon TPT to this new material, it has 4 percent more density, 15 percent more fibre rigidity, and 30 percent stronger resin.
With these improvements, the case sections can be machined thinner, making it lighter without sacrificing rigidity. The fibres, arranged in a 70-degree orientation, provide extra rigidity to the bezel, flange, and caseband as they form an X within the caseback. This ensures the watch can withstand everyday knocks and the intense demands of professional tennis despite its feather-light weight.
The movement is based on the ultra-thin RMUP-01 calibre. It features a skeletonised and hand-finished PVD-treated titanium baseplate with bridges made of grade 5 titanium and Carbon TPT. Only 3.75mm thick and weighing just 3.79g, it has a barrel with 55 hours of power reserve and a flying tourbillon mounted on ball bearings. The movement is not attached to the case by screws. A monobloc back and caseband unit topped by a flange and bezel encloses the entire mechanism. To keep the calibre firmly in place, the whole assembly presses down on it.
Designing the calibre and case for the RM 27-05 required 4,000 hours of work. This included finite element calculations, multiple simulations, analyses, tomography, and numerous impact tests. Each technical option was rigorously tested through prototypes, resulting in extraordinary endurance at accelerations exceeding a g-force of 14,000.
The RM 27-05 is the final model in the RM 027 series, but Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal’s partnership continues. “What truly binds us is the human side; the strength of our friendship with Rafa. After all the time we’ve spent together, we’re looking forward to continuing our exchanges for many years to come. The RM 27-05 is a testament to both this long friendship and our shared enjoyment. Looking to the future, the techniques used to develop the RM 27-05 will undoubtedly benefit all our future creations,” says Alexandre Mille, Richard Mille’s commercial director.
