Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille Teamed Up for a Bold New Watch With a Groundbreaking ‘Butterfly Rotor’
Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille have been working together for more than a decade, but they haven’t lost the ability to push the envelope.
On Wednesday, the pair added a fourth innovative watch to the Baby Nadal collection. The tennis pro and Swiss watchmaker collaborated on many designs before launching the aforementioned line in 2021. The new RM 35-03 Automatic Nadal is a testament to their harmonious working relationship and represents the pinnacle of horological innovation. In fact, the newcomer is equipped with a groundbreaking “butterfly rotor” designed to revolutionize the art of timekeeping.
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“In our respective domains, we both seek to achieve excellence,” Nadal said in a statement. “We speak the same language, Richard and I.”
As with its predecessors, the new model is inspired by the Richard Mille tourbillions Rafa has worn on the courts. The athletic and ergonomic design also features cutouts reminiscent of the RM 27-04 Tourbillon. The RM 35-03 is already available in three versions: blue and white quartz TPT, carbon TPT, and white quartz TPT. (For the unversed, TPT, or Thin Ply Technology, relates to Richard Mille’s patented technique of layering fibers.) This fourth iteration is made from a mix of carbon and quartz and showcases a red and black colorway.
Sapphire crystals on the front and back of the 44 mm case allow the wearer to appreciate the fully skeletonized movement (RMAL2 caliber). At the heart of the complex creation lies the patented butterfly rotor. Three years in the making, the mechanical innovation represents a new style of movement winding technology. Essentially, it introduces an interactive element, allowing the wearer to directly influence the rotor’s geometry and control the movement’s winding speed based on their lifestyle and activity levels.
How? Press down on the pusher at 7 o’clock (sport mode) and a gear train dedicated to the rotor deploys its two weights (titanium and metal) at 180 degrees. Switching between the normal mode and the “sports mode” provides haptic feedback, meaning that you can feel the weight segments adjust on your wrist. In addition, a push button located at 2 o’clock allows you to select the winding, neutral, and hand-setting functions. The hand at 2 o’clock displays the selected function.
“Previously, any modification of the rotor’s geometry needed to be done by one of our licensed watchmakers,” Salvador Arbona, technical director for movements, said in a statement. “We have perfected this system and given wearers the possibility of directly acting on the watch’s winding speed. It’s like a driver being able to adjust the transmission style from city use to racetrack by activating the sports mode.”
All that innovation comes at a cost, of course. The RM 35-03 Automatic Nadal is priced at a hefty $238,000.
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