One of the finest tennis players in the history of the sport, Rafael Nadal is a global icon who commands a massive fan following around the globe. Even though he is not in the best of form lately, the Spaniard attracts a majority of the limelight in every tournament he participates in. He’s known for donning the best timepieces as well. So, take a look at the watch collection of Rafael Nadal.
With such widespread popularity comes an incredible fortune. As is expected, Rafael Nadal ranks among the richest tennis players in the world.
According to a report by Celebrity Net Worth, Nadal enjoys a net worth of USD 220 million as of 2024. This means that he has the luxury to afford all the riches money can buy. Among many of his expensive assets, the Spanish player’s penchant for watches is quite famous.
Nadal made headlines for his appearance at the French Open 2024, and boy, do those headlines cover a wide spectrum. On the more sombre side, he made news for crashing out of the French Open 2024 in the first round in straight sets, a truly shocking feat given that he has won the coveted title a record 14 times.
However, horologists and watch aficionados were more interested in the news the Spaniard made by wearing an exciting new Richard Mille timepiece on the court. For context, Richard Mille recently launched a special ‘Rafael Nadal’ edition of its iconic RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillion.
Nadal’s partnership with Richard Mille is well-known. As a matter of fact, the watchmaker approached the Spaniard for the first time in 2008 with the proposal of crafting a custom-made watch that could withstand the grind of a tennis match. While it took some time to get Nadal on the same page, in 2010 the launch of the signature RM 027 marked the dawn of a new era.
Once an occasional watch-wearer and not a big fan of the idea of wrist candies, today, the tennis legend boasts of an enviable collection, including quite a few Richard Mille timepieces. So, join us as we delve deep into the watch collection of Rafael Nadal and find out more about his Richard Mille timepieces, including their prices.
A look at the best timepieces in Rafael Nadal’s collection of watches
Richard Mille RM 27-04
Price: USD 2.15 million (HKD 16.7 million)
Let us kick-start the watch collection of Rafael Nadal with the Richard Mille RM 27-04. This timepiece was introduced by the Swiss watchmaker to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its partnership with the Spaniard.
The watch comes with a TitaCarb case, which is a high-performance polyamide with 38.5 per cent carbon fiber. This material makes the timepiece shock-resistant yet light on the wrist (weighing only 30 grams). It is fitted with a rubber strap.
The dial of the watch sports a mesh of metal strings which is reminiscent of the strings on a tennis racquet. These strings are more than just a design element though as they help hold the manual winding tourbillion RM 27-04 movement in place. The mechanical movement can provide up to 38 hours of power reserve with each of its winding.
A unique watch, the RM 27-04 is a limited edition model of which Richard Mille has made only 50 pieces. This is also the most expensive timepiece in the expansive watch collection of Rafael Nadal.
Richard Mille RM 27-01
Price: USD 1.75 million (HKD 13.6 million)
After the success of the RM 027 in 2010, Richard Mille decided to revisit its signature Rafael Nadal watch in 2013. This time, the aim was to make a watch so light that the wearer wouldn’t feel its weight on their wrist. The idea gave birth to the RM 27-01.
At just 18.83 grams, the RM 27-01 broke the record for being the lightest watch in history! Its weight is inclusive of its rubber strap (which, by the way, is the heaviest part of the model). This watch is powered by the manual winding tourbillion RM 27-01. The base plate of the mechanical movement is attached to the watch’s case by four braided steel cables.
In terms of durability, the timepiece’s case is crafted out of NTPT carbon, a material that is shock-resistant and can endure extreme conditions.
Richard Mille RM 27-03
Price: USD 1.68 million (HKD 13 million)
In 2017, Richard Mille introduced the world to its RM 27-03, the fourth generation of its iconic RM 027 watch. This time (pun not intended), the watchmaker decided to make use of quartz for the watch’s case and body instead of carbon and titanium.
The red-and-yellow TPT Quartz case is a tribute to Nadal’s Spanish heritage. However, many in the horology fraternity interpret it as an embodiment of Nadal’s fiery, aggressive persona on the tennis court. Besides the design aesthetics, the quartz case is also durable to the core with high shock resistance.
Under the hood, the timepiece is powered by Richard Mille’s in-house manual winding RM 27-03 tourbillion. This is a rare watch in Rafael Nadal’s collection, with the brand only making 50 pieces.
Richard Mille RM 027
Price: USD 1.6 million (HKD 12.4 million)
In 2010, Richard Mille made a memorable appearance on the tennis court with the RM 027 adorning Rafael Nadal’s wrist.
This particular timepiece was a product of immense hard work and rigorous testing. In fact, to withstand the rigours of professional tennis, the watchmaker fitted the timepiece with a case made of a unique composite shock-resistant material — Carbon NTPT.
At the time of its release, the RM 027, with its rubber strap, was the lightest watch in the world (weighing 20 grams). The record has since been broken by the RM 27-01. This watch is powered by the manual winding RM 027 tourbillion, a lightweight mechanical movement made of titanium and a LITAL alloy (high in lithium).
In 2010, Nadal enjoyed great success wearing this watch as he won the French Open, Wimbledon Open and the US Open, and also finished as the runner-up of the season-ending ATP Tour Finals.
Richard Mille RM 27-02
Price: USD 1.3 million (HKD 10.1 million)
The third generation of Rafael Nadal’s signature watch, the Richard Mille RM 27-02 was introduced in 2016. This model also stays true to the ethos of RM 027 in terms of its durability with a TPT Quartz case. In fact, it was the first time that the RM lineup made use of quartz as the case material.
Richard Mille made use of Carbon TPT to create the brand’s first-ever ‘unibody’ skeletonised baseplate. For context, the ‘unibody’ concept fuses the movement, baseplate and case back together.
Even though this is an innovative watch, Nadal did not enjoy much success wearing it on the court as in 2016, he did not win a single Grand Slam tournament. Quite an unfortunate blot on the RM 27-02’s reputation.
Richard Mille RM 35-03 White
Price: USD 1 million (HKD 7.7 million)
Taking inspiration from the iconic RM 027 watch and its successors, Richard Mille crafted the RM 35 lineup and named it the ‘Baby Nadal’ collection. But what makes it different from the signature series?
Unlike the RM 27 lineup, the RM 35 series lacks a tourbillion and is marketed by the watchmaker as a ‘time-only’ watch. The RM 35-03, however, retains most of the design elements of the RM 027, including a skeletonised dial, a lightweight durable case and great shock resistance.
In the RM 35-03, Richard Mille introduced its patented butterfly rotor in the automatic movement. The timepiece also boasts a sports mode and a function selector.
The RM 35-03, in its white carbon case, is the perfect match for the elegance and suave of the Spaniard. This is also the only timepiece in Rafael Nadal’s watch collection outside the RM 027 lineup that has a price tag of USD 1 million and above.
Richard Mille RM 35-03 Blue
Price: USD 850,000 (HKD 6.6 million)
In addition to the white Richard Mille RM 35-03, Rafael Nadal also owns a blue variant of the same watch as part of his collection. Besides the change in colour of the TPT Quartz case from white to blue, the rest of the watch is identical to the one discussed above.
However, the greater demand for the white variant did result in a higher price tag. As such, this blue iteration costs around USD 150,000 less.
Richard Mille RM 35-02
Price: USD 420,000 (HKD 3.2 million)
The RM 35 series gained massive popularity among luxury watch aficionados. However, many of them were unhappy about the absence of a self-winding mechanical movement in the ‘Baby Nadal’ lineup. This, in turn, prompted Richard Mille to make significant changes in the RM 35-02.
A product of months of hard work, the RMAL1 calibre in RM 35-02 is a skeletonised self-winding automatic movement with hours, minutes and seconds functions. In addition, the movement also sports a variable-geometry rotor.
The Carbon TPT case of the watch ensures that it is shock-resistant to the core. To further cement its durability, Richard Mille crafted the baseplate and bridges of the RMAL1 calibre in wet-sandblasted grade 5 titanium.
Richard Mille RM 11-03
Price: USD 400,000 (HKD 3.1 million)
In contrast to all the other timepieces in Rafael Nadal’s watch collection mentioned on this list, the Richard Mille RM 11-03 was not tailor-made for the tennis star. This is because he never wore it on the tennis court. Basically, he did not need the lightweight casing material and the tourbillion.
As a result, the rose-gold RM 11-03 is slightly on the heavier side. Besides the absence of a carbon or quartz case, the chronograph also contributes greatly to the weight of the watch. For context, the watch is powered by a flyback chronograph automatic skeletonised movement.
Additionally, the timepiece comes with a 60-minute countdown timer situated at nine o’clock, a 12-hour totaliser, an oversized date display and a month indicator.
Richard Mille RM 35-01
Price: USD 312,440 (HKD 2.4 million)
Last but not least in Rafael Nadal’s watch collection is the Richard Mille RM 35-01. This watch, which was released in 2014, is known for its powerful movement that offers high-impact resistance.
The RMUL3 calibre, a skeletonised manual winding movement, is made of grade 5 titanium (which explains its durability). Comprising 24 jewels, the mechanical movement offers a power reserve of up to 55 hours with each of its winding. The entire movement weighs a mere four grams.
This powerful mechanical movement is encased by a Carbon TPT body which is shock-resistant, offering Nadal the flexibility to play in his signature aggressive style without worrying about the timepiece.
(Main and Featured Images Credits: Richard Mille)
This story first appeared here.
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Uddipta writes about sports and watches besides occasionally venturing into the world of automobiles and technology. He was associated with the Indian Express in the capacity of a sub-editor at their Lifestyle desk. A journalism and mass communication student from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Uddipta devotes most of his leisure time to photography and filmmaking. He has contributed photographs to Vogue Italia and several exhibits, and has directed award-winning short films screened at film festivals in India and abroad.
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