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Lot Essay
“The RM 27-02 belongs to the elite circle of Richard Mille watches destined to leave their mark on an era” – Richard Mille
One of the most important and defining of Richard Mille’s wristwatches, the RM27-02 limited edition ‘Rafael Nadal’ is a mind-blowing accomplishment in the use of ground-breaking materials. The present example is one of the key pieces of the reference – one of the prototypes, it is numbered “00”. Another prototype was of course famously worn by Rafael Nadal during his competitions in the 2015 tennis season.
The construction of the RM027-02 is fascinating, the ‘racing machine for the wrist’ was inspired by the chassis of Formula 1 racing cars. It features a skeletonized baseplate that is integral to the case band, christened the ‘unibody’, it is made from NTPT carbon and was the first of its type, giving the watch an exceptional rigidity and shock resistance. Richard Mille had been researching the properties of NTPT carbon which is exceptionally light and strong and gives a robustness that is unprecedented in a wristwatch. The three-dimensional curved bridges are formed from grade 5 titanium and are shot-blasted and satin-brushed by hand. Equally impressive is the case which is also a completely new material in watchmaking. Called TPT (thin ply technology) quartz, its strength and incredible lightness is unparalleled, composed of hundreds of layers of quartz interspersed with layers of NTPT carbon, the layers are fused together at 120 degrees Celsius to form a case that is almost indestructible. Also resistant to extremes of temperature and magnetism, the case and movement work as a single entity – a near perfect sports watch.
To subject the watch to extreme testing for shocks and impact, the tennis ace Rafael Nadal wore one of the prototypes of the RM27-02 on his wrist throughout the entire 2015 tennis season. The model is named the ‘Rafael Nadal’ in his honour.
Rafael Nadal
The Spanish professional tennis player is currently ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals. He was ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal has won an all-time record 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters titles. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. For over a decade, Nadal has dominated men's tennis along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three, collectively considered by some to be the three most successful male tennis players of all time.
One of the most important and defining of Richard Mille’s wristwatches, the RM27-02 limited edition ‘Rafael Nadal’ is a mind-blowing accomplishment in the use of ground-breaking materials. The present example is one of the key pieces of the reference – one of the prototypes, it is numbered “00”. Another prototype was of course famously worn by Rafael Nadal during his competitions in the 2015 tennis season.
The construction of the RM027-02 is fascinating, the ‘racing machine for the wrist’ was inspired by the chassis of Formula 1 racing cars. It features a skeletonized baseplate that is integral to the case band, christened the ‘unibody’, it is made from NTPT carbon and was the first of its type, giving the watch an exceptional rigidity and shock resistance. Richard Mille had been researching the properties of NTPT carbon which is exceptionally light and strong and gives a robustness that is unprecedented in a wristwatch. The three-dimensional curved bridges are formed from grade 5 titanium and are shot-blasted and satin-brushed by hand. Equally impressive is the case which is also a completely new material in watchmaking. Called TPT (thin ply technology) quartz, its strength and incredible lightness is unparalleled, composed of hundreds of layers of quartz interspersed with layers of NTPT carbon, the layers are fused together at 120 degrees Celsius to form a case that is almost indestructible. Also resistant to extremes of temperature and magnetism, the case and movement work as a single entity – a near perfect sports watch.
To subject the watch to extreme testing for shocks and impact, the tennis ace Rafael Nadal wore one of the prototypes of the RM27-02 on his wrist throughout the entire 2015 tennis season. The model is named the ‘Rafael Nadal’ in his honour.
Rafael Nadal
The Spanish professional tennis player is currently ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals. He was ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal has won an all-time record 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters titles. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. For over a decade, Nadal has dominated men's tennis along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three, collectively considered by some to be the three most successful male tennis players of all time.