Manager of the Squadra Azzurra, Italy’s national football team, Roberto Mancini is back on home turf after coaching the Saint Petersburg Zenit club for two years, and taking up a new challenge: making Italy the number one football nation in Europe and the world. It is wearing the new RM 11-04 Mancini that Roberto will be shouldering his task and attempting to make the dream of so many ‘tifosis’ come true.
Released in 2013, the RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini was born of discussions between the Italian manager and Richard Mille over how to address an issue coaches confront on the field, namely, how much playing time is left in a match? Time… it is a strategic resource and a quantitative reality that can be a source of tremendous stress in this sport. Once time ceases to be displayed on the scoreboard, during extra time, for instance, it keys up anxiety, causing players to lose their bearings and inevitably affecting tactics during play.
The idea of creating a mechanical watch with a dedicated dial for tracking half-time, extra time and overtime might seem an obvious one, however, the ingenious display, combined with the availability of a flyback chronograph, gives Roberto Mancini complete mastery of time on the playing field: "As coaches, it is up to us to guide our players perfectly", he says. "That’s why time must be tracked and managed. It is one of the parameters that can mean victory or defeat. Every last minute, every second is precious and carries the potential to overturn the outcome of a match."
While conceding nothing of the ingenuity that characterised the RM 11-01, the RM 11-04 incorporates the brand’s latest style codes, as seen in the new lines of the crown, its variable-geometry rotor and its ultra-sporty case in Carbon TPT® with raised crenulations. The colours of the Italian flag, Il Tricolore, as well as the official blue shade that gives the Squadra Azzura its nickname are all nods to Roberto’s background, incorporated all around the automatic calibre, which powers a flyback chronograph and annual calendar. They adorn the bezel, crown, pusher-caps and the rubber bracelet, this last with a titanium folding buckle. The new casing presents the grade 5 titanium calibre RMAC3 in an unprecedented new light.
