Richard Mille

At Richard Mille, the watch has always been considered a practical accessory that should be useful and totally reliable, whatever its owner may be doing. Inspired by the collection of RM 027 Tourbillon watches worn by Rafa Nadal on the tennis courts, the RM 035 Collection of "baby Nadal" watches has been designed as a concentration of technology at the service of performance to those who deliver it. To be worn without moderation and without compromise. Taking three years of development, the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, the fourth watch in the RM 035 Collection, inaugurates a new winding mechanism christened the "butterfly rotor." This patented invention hands direct control over the automatic movement’s winding to the wearer. It’s a brand new way to stay in touch with your watch under all circumstances.

With caliber RMAL2 skeletonized automatic-winding movement with hours, minutes, seconds, patented butterfly rotor, sport mode and function selector. Power reserve approximately 55 hours. Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium. Manufacturing these components in grade 5 titanium with black PVD and electro-plasma treatments confers great rigidity on the entire assembly, as well as precise surface flatness, essential for perfect functioning of the gear train. The skeletonized baseplate and the bridges were subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimize their stress resistance.

Patented by Richard Mille, the butterfly rotor offers the wearer the possibility of varying the rotor geometry by themselves, controlling the winding of the movement according to their lifestyle and sporting activities. The butterfly rotor is made up of two weights in grade 5 titanium and metal. In their initial position, the weights cause a radial displacement of the center of gravity, generating the necessary torque to wind the barrel. With a simple pressure on the pusher at 7 o’clock (SPORT MODE), a gear train dedicated to the rotor deploys the two weights at 180°. The center of gravity is then brought back to the center, bringing the rotor into balance, canceling its winding power and thus any excessive winding of the caliber. This invention allows the movement’s winding mechanism to be optimized on demand. An ON/OFF indicator located at 6 o’clock allows the owner to see the status of the rotor, if it is activated or not.

Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT are exclusive materials with a unique appearance. Their remarkable surface displays elegant striations, as they are composed of multiple layers of parallel filaments obtained by dividing carbon fibers or silica threads. These layers, with a maximum thickness of 45 microns, are impregnated with resin then woven on a special machine that modifies the direction of the weft by 45° between layers. Heated to 120°C at a pressure of 6 bars, these materials are then ready to be processed on a CNC machine at Richard Mille. The case is water resistant to 50 meters, ensured by two Nitrile O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel. This watch comes with paper only.

Fits a wrist size of 7.5 inches or smaller.