Rafael Nadal Spotted Wearing Richard Mille RM 27-01
Haute Time spotted Rafael Nadal wearing an RM 27-01 by Richard Mille. On Sunday, June 8, Nadal wore the timepiece on court at the 2014 French Open, where he took home the Roland-Garros Cup for the ninth time.
Although the world No. 2 Novak Djokovic looked strong in the first set, Nadal’s powerful forehand helped lead him to a four-set victory. It was Nadal’s fifth straight title in Paris, an all-time record, and his 14th Grand Slam trophy.
It was an important victory for Nadal, who arrived at Roland Garros at a low peak in his career, having been beaten on clay (his traditional forte) more times this year than any season since 2004.
As the Spanish national anthem rang out at Philippe Chatrier Court, Nadal happily hoisted the Cup in the air, giving us a glimpse of his RM 27-01, which was modified with a red Velcro® strap.
It’s not the first time we’ve spotted Nadal wearing his RM 27-01 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, which was created specifically for the tennis superstar. It seems to be something of a good luck charm for Nadal, who also wore this custom timepiece on court when he won at the US Open.
It’s no surprise that Nadal feels at ease wearing the RM 27-01 during even the most important matches, considering that this ultra-light carbon composite watch weighs in at just 19 grammes, Velcro® strap included.
Inspired by suspended bridges, it features a titanium baseplate attached to the case by four braided steel cables just 0.35 mm in diameter. The cables are held taut by tension mechanisms (located at 3 and 9 o’clock) and pulleys at the four corners of the movement. This structure protects the movement and the tourbillon carriage from accelerations of over 5,000 G, keeping the caliber in suspension inside its case.
Only 50 pieces of the RM 27-01 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal were produced.
Photos courtesy Richard Mille. Additional photos courtesy Roland-Garros 2014.
