One of the most enduring — and iconic — brand/ambassador relationships in modern watchmaking is the one between tennis champion Rafael Nadal and watchmaker Richard Mille. It’s been 14 years since the first Richard Mille model was made to honour the 22-time Grand Slam champ, and we’ve got to say, this latest example offers something different.

The RM Nadal formula has been quite consistent over the years — ultra-light, technical and typically with a healthy dash of orange. The RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal switches up the formulae somewhat – in a suitably epic conclusion to the RM 27 saga.

While this watch lacks the bold colouring of previous versions, it still has the specs to make it stand out. Weighing in at a mere 11.5 grams and resisting acceleration up to a superhuman 14,000G, this Carbon TPT B.4 tonneau manages to set twin records for both the lightest and the most shock-resistant manually winding tourbillon. Particularly observant readers might be wondering what Carbon TPT B.4 is and how it differs from other versions of the material. Well, according to Richard Mille, this variant is denser, making it stiffer and more resilient, allowing for finer parts machining without sacrificing structural integrity. Another noteworthy change on this particular case is the construction. Rather than the typical three-part build of bezel, middle and back, this case middle and back of this watch are milled from a single piece, and the movement is mounted inside without any screws, instead secured by fine machining tolerances and pressure from the dial flange and bezel.

The movement itself is worth mentioning, too. It’s based on the Calibre RMUP-01, the wafer-thin movement found in the incredibly thin RM UP-01 Ferrari; here extreme slenderness is less of a priority, so there’s a little more depth at play. Having said that, it’s still only 3.75mm thick and weighs 3.79 grams, so it’s quite incredible. Bridges are made from titanium and Carbon TPT, and there’s a 3Hz flying tourbillon in the bottom half of the dial. This manually wound movement offers an impressive-for-the-size 55 hours of power reserve.

The RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal is an epic example of what Richard Mille is all about, and it’s an epic tribute to one of the greatest tennis players of the modern era. Creating an ultra-light flying tourbillon of this grade is a technical tour de force and just what we’ve come to expect from Richard Mille.

Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal Technical Specifications

Movement: RM27-05, manually wound tourbillon, 55 hours of power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Case: 37.25 by 47.25mm, Carbon TPT, water-resistant to 10M
Strap: Black textile
Availability: Limited to 80 pieces, USD 1,150,000

To find out more about the Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal click here.