Rafa’s Return: A Closer Look At The RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal

For elite athletes to achieve longevity in their careers, most will fine-tune their training so they can play smarter, not harder.

The RM 35-03 collection of sport chic automatic watches features subtle improvements such as a special mechanism for the winding system that allows the wearer to adjust the winding action based on their current level of activity through a "sport mode" button located at 7 o'clock that disengages the winding rotor on demand to prevent overwinding the movement.
 

It took the Richard Mille team three years to develop this timepiece and the most exciting thing about this collaboration is that it sports a special "butterfly rotor" system designed with two halves hinged at the center to prevent the rotor from spinning when it’s in sport mode. This allows energy to be evenly distributed even if it’s on the wrist of a player with as powerful of a serve as Nadal.

Can’t remember if the automatic winding system has been activated? Luckily, there’s a function selector on the case side which lets the wearer toggle between three modes – "H" for time setting, "N" for neutral, and "W" for winding.
 

Need more power? These innovations are backed up by the fully skeletonized RMAL2 automatic movement. This calibre’s bridges and baseplate are made of grade 5 titanium (lightness is important on the court and the wrist). As for endurance, this mechanism has a power reserve of 55 hours thanks to a double-barrel system that can distribute torque between barrels for better timekeeping – kind of like how Nadal can switch between left- and right-handed hits to gain an advantage over his opponents.

In a statement about this ground-breaking new edition, Nadal says: “We speak the same language, Richard and I. In our respective domains, we both seek to achieve excellence.”

Like previous Nadal x Richard Mille editions, the look of the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal combines big wrist presence (measuring 43.15mm wide, 13.15mm thick, and 49.95mm lug to lug) with ultra-light materials.
 

But the skeletonized display also adds a layer of lightheartedness, which can be seen as a reflection of Nadal’s maturity as a player. He is still just as passionate about the sport, but he doesn’t take himself quite so seriously!

Available now and priced at $238,000, the RM 35-03 is available in three versions: In Carbone TPT with caseband in Carbone TPT; in white Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT with caseband in Carbon TPT; and in blue Quartz TPT with caseband in white Quartz TPT. Water resistance is 50 meters.
 

To find out more, please visit the Richard Mille website.

(Images © Richard Mille)