Match Play Debut – French Open 2010 vs. Gianni Mina…

In early April, I first showed you the new ultra-light RM027 watch, created by master watchmaker Richard Mille for tennis phenom Rafael Nadal.  Well, it seems that some of the sports and print media writers the entire media — from Yahoo Sports to the HuffPo to the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal — has finally caught up with the news thanks to a press conference that Nadal held this past weekend (from the French Open) to announce the new watch.  Richard Mille was there to join in the fun.  Here are the pics, straight from opening round match play at Roland Garros.  Pics from warmups and the press conference are below, too.

Felipe Trueba/European Pressphoto

May 21, 2010 – Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille at the launch of the new ‘TOURBILLON WATCH RM 027 RAFAEL NADAL’

May 22, 2010 – Rafael Nadal trains in his Richard Mille watch (valued at $525,000) at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, on the eve of the French open tennis tournament.

(AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Be sure to click over to my original post from April 2 for some more looks at the watch.

New, ultra-light RM027 Tourbillon to be worn during Nadal’s matches…

This is the new Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon, developed in collaboration with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, who has tested this watch in real conditions i.e. during his always intense tennis matches. 

May 21, 2010 Update: Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal officially unveil the watch at a press conference.  You can see our May 23rd follow-up post + pics — Richard Mille Nadal RM27 Watch in Action — HERE!

May 21, 2010 – Rafael Nadal and Richard Mille at the launch of the new ‘TOURBILLON WATCH RM 027 RAFAEL NADAL’

2010 French Open

© Rafa Nadal and Richard Mille

Richard Mille RM027 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal

48 mm x 39.70 mm x 11.85 mm

Limited edition 50 pieces — Estimated price $525,000

The introduction of the new RM 027 Tourbillon marks the brand’s first entry to the world of tennis courts.   As with Felipe Massa who drives every F1 Grand Prix with his watch, Rafael Nadal will play all of his matches wearing his Richard Mille on his wrist, an extraordinary feat.  I can’t help but think of some of the great matches between Nadal and Roger Federer, himself a Rolex ambassador.  Too bad Federer does not actually wear his Rolex during matches — it could make for a true battle of the wrist shots

The weight equivalent of 20 paper clips!

Weighing under 20 grams (13g without strap), the incredibly light RM 027 has a carbon-composite case, and the manual-wind movement – itself weighing just under 4 g — is constructed titanium and LITAL ®, lithium alloy containing aluminum, copper, magnesium, zirconium.  Power reserve is 48 hours.  Lithium alloy is also used in many aircraft parts such as the A380, helicopters, missiles, satellites or even Formula 1 and offers extreme performance attributes.  The back bezel and caseband are monobloc to ensure total lightness. The glass; the bezel and the flange in carbon have remarkable properties of stiffness and torsional rigidity.

The RM 027 Tourbillon is a limited edition of 50 pieces with an estimated price of $525,000 — only for the very few and privileged, like all Richard Mille watches.

(c) Rafaelnadal.com

Well, fresh off an exciting Singapore Grand Prix (congrats Lewis Hamilton and Tag Heuer), next stop is Japan, and then to Brazil (October 16-18).  Brazil is the home of F1 Superstar Felipe Massa, who is unfortunately out of racing for the rest of the 2009 season due to a severe accident he suffered on the racetrack this past July at the Hungarian Grand Prix (Massa was struck on the helmet by a suspension spring that had fallen from Rubens Barrichello’s car on a high-speed part of the track).

As you may also know, Felipe Massa has a special relationship with ultra-exclusive watchmaker Richard Mille.  Richard Mille just revealed a special edition watch he has created for Massa, and it is an eye-catcher.  The colors of Massa’s Brazilian homeland with the technical prowess that Richard Mille is known for!

Limited to 10 pieces, one of which is surely Felipe Massa’s.

Richard Mille and Formula 1 Driver Felipe Massa continue their close collaboration

High-end watchmaker and brand Richard Mille brings us two new limited edition models bearing the name of the brand’s Formula 1 “private test driver”.   The Felipe Massa RM 004-V2 in an edition of 40 pieces and the Felipe Massa RM 008-V2 limited to 10 pieces.  Both watches sport the colours of the Brazilian flag on the inner bezel as well as a red collared crown.

In 2004, Felipe Massa took up the challenge of driving in a Grand Prix race with a Richard Mille tourbillon watch on his wrist, the RM 006 Felipe Massa. This watch was a radical innovation, the first to utilize a carbon nanofiber baseplate.  The RM 006 was designed to resist the violent accelerations and vibrations experienced during a Formula 1 Grand Prix race, and its success initiated a series of fine watches dedicated to the Formula 1 high-tech universe. After the RM 006, the RM 009 (29 grams without strap), and the RM 011 LMC editions, the limited runs of the RM 004-V2 and the RM 008-V2 will now take their place manifesting Richard Mille Watches dedication to the world of motor sports.

CALIBER RM 004-V2 FELIPE MASSA

Limited Edition of 40 pieces: 25 in 18ct red gold, 10 in 18ct white gold and 5 in titanium.

Manual winding movement with chronograph, split-seconds, hours, minutes, running seconds, 30-minute totalizer, power reserve, torque indicator, function indicator.

CALIBER RM 008-V2 FELIPE MASSA

Limited Edition of 10 pieces: 5 in 18ct red gold and 5 in 18ct white gold.

Manual winding tourbillon movement with chronograph, split-seconds, hours, minutes, running seconds, 30-minute totalizer, power reserve, torque indicator, function indicator.

Only Watch is a charity auction of unique watches created by many of the most important watch brands in Switzerland. This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert 11. All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The next Only Watch auction is organized in close collaboration with Patrizzi & Co and the Monaco Yacht Show, and will take place on 24 September 2009.

Participating brands include Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, BNB Concept, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet Montres, Cartier, Corum Montres, De Bethune, Delacour, Franck Muller, Frédérique Constant, Glashütte Uhrenbertrieb, Hermès, Hublot, Jaquet Droz, Louis Vuitton, Maximilian Büsser & Friends, Mont Blanc, Omega, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Swatch, Tag Heuer, Tourneau Timepieces, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Zenith International.

Below is a mosaic of their “pieces uniques”  – you can view larger images and a quote from each respective brand about their 2009 “Only Watch” contribution HERE.