Rafael Nadal has been an ambassador for watchmaker Richard Mille since 2010, and the collaboration has been fruitful. Since he put on the RM 027 RN, the rest is history. Since then, the Swiss watchmaker has released numerous Nadal-named products. Of course, no one can forget the million-dollar timepiece, the RM 27-04 was launched in September 2020 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the spectacular collaboration between the innovative watch brand and the Spanish tennis superstar.
Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille: The duo we didn’t know we needed
If you’ve been following the 2022 Australian Open, you’ve probably noticed the watch on Rafael Nadal’s right wrist. The watch has remained Nadal’s faithful companion throughout the tournament – even when those balls were smashed to the ground on the court. Rafael played some intense matches in his first major of 2022, including a five-set match against Denis Shapovalov.
Richard Miller RM 27-04
Inspired by the way tennis rackets are threaded, the mechanism of the Richard Mille RM 27-04 is entirely supported by an 855mm square micro-blasted mesh, which includes a braided steel cable measuring just 0.27mm in diameter. The steel cable is attached to the turnbuckle at the 5 o’clock position. Then “braid” above and below the main string to create “cross strings”. The cable passes through the hollow grade 5 titanium flange 38 times before ending the run at another turnbuckle at the 10 o’clock position.
The movement is placed diagonally. It is attached to the grid by five grade 5 polished titanium hooks coated with red gold PVD that extend from the back of the baseplate. Just as players add dampers to their strings, so do the tourbillon sleeve, barrel and hands around the 6 o’clock position.
As far as watchmaking is concerned, this type of layout is unprecedented.
Like all Nadal-specific Richard Mille timepieces, the RM 27-04 is extremely lightweight. Only 30 grams including strap. This watch is known to be extremely shock resistant, which is a must if you plan to wear it while exercising. The movement consists of a 1-minute tourbillon suspended within the case that resists an acceleration of 12,000 Gs, a personal record even for Richard Mille.
Rafael Nadal and Richard Miller RM 27-04: A match at the 2022 Australian Open
When Rafael Nadal won in 2020, it marked not only his 13th French Open title, but his 20th Grand Slam title, a historic milestone. With this feat, he is tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. And now, with his historic victory at the 2022 Australian Open, he has put his name in the annals of history forever. World No. 1 AND Hublot ambassador Novak Djokovic was not in attendance because he was expelled from Australia ahead of the tournament.
The prevailing hypothesis now is that the 35-year-old is wearing the RM 27-04 as a lucky charm in Australia. He wore it when he won the 2020 French Open.
into details
The case measures 38.4mm x 47.25mm x 11.40mm and is made of TitaCarb, a compound exclusive to Richard Mille.
As far as the movement is concerned, the watch is powered by a hand-wound movement with a one-minute tourbillon. The movement offers a power reserve of up to 38 hours at a frequency of 21,600 vph. The agency is certified to withstand magnetic fields up to 12,000 Gs. fashion watch