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Richard Mille
Ref. RM027-RN
RM27 "Nadal"
An important, early, attractive and lightweight carbon tourbillon wristwatch with skeletonized dial, warranty and presentation box, numbered 25 of a limited edition of 50 pieces
Full-Cataloguing
- Tourbillon
- Made in 2010 in collaboration with Rafael Nadal
- Weighs under 20 grams, making it one of the lightest tourbillon wristwatches at the time
- Numbered 25/50
- Accompanied by original warranty and presentation box
In 2010, Richard Mille announced a partnership with one of the greatest tennis champions of all time: Rafael Nadal. The ground-breaking RM27 Tourbillon was subsequently launched with incredible lightness as well as robust resistance to shocks and extreme conditions when worn on “Rafa’s” wrist during a tennis match. The first model, RM 027, weighed under 20 grams including the strap, making it one of the lightest mechanical tourbillons ever made at the time and was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
The “RN” designation refers to Rafael Nadal, highlighting that the watch was purpose-built for him — not just endorsed, but engineered for real match play. The model is important because Richard Mille completely changed our notion of high-end watchmaking with the launch of this watch. By taking a delicate tourbillon watch out of the display case and onto the tennis court, he proved that his timepieces could withstand the demands of professional sport.
It features a hand-wound tourbillon caliber suspended inside the case by a network of high-tension cables—an inventive system engineered to dissipate shocks and maximize resilience. Despite its ultra-light build, the RM 027 stands firmly within the realm of haute horlogerie, reflecting Richard Mille’s relentless focus on advanced materials, extreme mechanical solutions, and bold contemporary design. Widely regarded as one of the defining partnerships in modern watchmaking, the RM 027 “Rafael Nadal” represents both a feat of engineering and a highly sought-after collector’s piece, embodying the brand’s philosophy of creating “a racing machine on the wrist.”
Richard Mille
Swiss | 1999Established in 1999, Richard Mille's ultra-modern timepieces combine cutting-edge materials from high performance worlds such as Formula 1 racecars with high-end traditional watchmaking. The brand's revolutionary designs, technical breakthroughs and exceptional hand-finishing excite even the most discriminating collectors, and have positioned Richard Mille alongside the top makers of the modern luxury watch world.
Innovative watches, such as the RM 027 Tourbillon, which was the world’s lightest mechanical watch when introduced in 2011, have helped the brand invert the concept of the luxury watch. Key models include the RM 009 Tourbillon cased in Aluminum Silicon Carbide (AlSiC), the RM 027-02 Tourbillon made for tennis star Rafael Nadal with a case made from quartz and carbon fiber and the RM 008 split seconds chronograph.