As is now customary in the run-up to Roland Garros, Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal have joined forces once again, this year to present the RM 35-02, the first piece in the Nadal collection to feature an automatic calibre.
Each of the models Richard Mille has designed with Rafael Nadal — from the first RM 027 with its carbon nanotubes case in 2010, to the cable-suspended movement of the RM 27-01, or the most recent iteration, the RM 27-02 with its NTPT Carbon ‘unibody’ baseplate — has embodied a major leap forward in terms of research and development.
The RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal is powered by the new automatic RMAL1 calibre, the base plate and bridges in wet-sandblasted grade 5 titanium, which has been PVD/Titalyt® treated and stretched to ensure supreme rigidity and impeccably smooth surfaces. Its variable inertia balance wheel oscillates at 28,800 vph, and is driven by a double-barrel system, offering a 55-hour power reserve. Inspired by the RM 35-01, the RM 35-02 emerged in response to a request from many Richard Mille customers for a self-winding mechanism at the heart of a Nadal calibre. The brand has chosen to use the patented variable geometry rotor that makes it possible to adjust the winding to suit the wearer’s activities.
The automatic RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal is available in either NTPT Carbon or a daring bright Quartz- TPT® Red with white highlights. Its silicon layers — each no thicker than 45 microns — are treated with a red resin that has been specially created for Richard Mille, then layered using an automatic system that changes the direction of the fibres in each layer by 45°. Heated under pressure at 120°C in an autoclave, the material is ready to be worked by ProArt, the manufacturer dedicated to the machining of Richard Mille components and cases.
The natural white quartz fibre, which is left undyed as per watchmaking custom, offers a very high resistance/weight ratio, non-allergenic properties and excellent UV resistance. But the true triumph of the engineers at Richard Mille and North Thin Ply Technology resides in the development of a red resin that draws a stark contrast with the natural white of the quartz and its transparent resin.
This Quartz-TPT® Red can withstand accelerations of up to 5,000 g’s.
