With the start of summer, Richard Mille announces a new limited edition piece in his RM 028 dive watch collection — the RM 028 Saint-Tropez. One of most expensive port marinas in the world, Saint-Tropez is a regular destination of the rich and famous. Like Hublot but on a much smaller scale, most of Richard Mille’s pieces are limited edition productions of 10-30 pieces. Given that a Richard Mille RM028 price is $75,000+, this level of production is perfectly rational. This particular RM 028 takes its color cues from the world of yachting — the titanium case comes on a white rubber strap and features navy-blue numbers and dial accents.
Richard Mille RM 028 Saint-Tropez
Limited Edition of 10
47mm titanium case (14.6mm thick), mechanical automatic movement, 300 meters water resistance
Blue jean overalls + Richard Mille watch = AWESOME!
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the new (and now “gone viral”) “Golf Boys” music video featuring PGA Tour golfers Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, & Hunter Mahan. Aside from the solid entertainment value delivered by the production, wristwatch enthusiasts can further indulge in the video given that a now famous Richard Mille wristwatch — worn by Bubba Watson — makes a cameo appearance. I’ll break it all down for you, after the cut:
Golf Boys (Video)
Presented by Farmers Insurance. Directed by SAMM. Music by Con Bro Chill www.bencranegolf.com
Perpetuelle readers have long known about the infamous “Bubba Watson watch” because Perpetuelle was first to the story way back on January 19, 2011, see: Bubba Watson Gets the RM038! I followed the story up on Feburary 27, 2011 with this article: Bubba Watson’s Watch Sees Match Play. Much to my amazement, both stories got the attention of Bubba Waston himself — first Tweeted on Jan. 19 and then on Feb. 27. By the way, thanks Bubba! (the man is a power-Twitter user with ~145,000 Followers).
Eventually, golf bloggers like Tony Korologos caught up with the story, and finally when the broader media establishment (Ryan Balangee of NBC Sports and Shane Bacon of Devil Ball) got cued in everyone went crazy about Bubba Watson wearing such a cool watch and with such a cool sponsorship deal (forget the haters!).
Anyway, I grabbed few frames from “Golf Boys” in which Bubba Watson can be clearly seen wearing his Richard Mille RM38 watch. Looking good, Bubba, looking good! I am glad you wear this watch with such pride!
Golf Boys (Still Shots)
Note the “white watch” – a Richard Mille RM038 — on Bubba’s left wrist:
More looks at Bubba Watson’s watch:
Oh yea – thanks to my man @tstults for the sharp eyes and for tipping us to the story via Twitter!
Wear it with pride, Bubba!
When I first showed you Bubba Watson’s new wristwatch back in January – a high-tech, ultralight beauty from esteemed Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille – I knew that it was inevitable that golf fans and the broader media would eventually figure out that this was no ordinary timepiece. I also had a good sense (based on Rafael Nadal’s similar experience with his $525k Richard Mille RM07) that the majority of fans would be hatin’ on Bubba when they figured out he was wearing such an awesome and expensive watch. How right I was. During his valiant effort at this weekend’s Accenture Match Play Championship, Bubba gave us several good looks of his Richard Mille RM038 watch on his wrist – and many fans were also shell-shocked when they learned that Richard Mille does not make ordinary watches for ordinary men…
As I alluded to above, the watch is creating somewhat of a stir amongst golf fans. The $525,000 price tag is what seems to irk people the most — I’ve read snide comments on various websites, blogs and Twitter about Bubba and his watch — but most of them are uninformed. There is certainly no surprise here as I saw the exact same thing happen with Rafael Nadal and his $525,000 Richard Mille RM027. The reality is that Bubba Watson is wearing the watch as a result of his sponsorship by Richard Mille — that is, he did not pay $525k for the watch. But even if, the man makes nice coin and he can spend it on whatever he wants — so back off, haters!
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Almost forgot — here’s the video of Bubba Watson wearing his Richard Mille. Yea, its brief and yea we don’t get much of a look, but hey, I’ll take what I can get. Particularly astute watch fans will also appreciate the partially visible “Richard Mille” logo on the left shoulder of Bubba’s sweater — I know I do:
(please pardon the advertisement – its NBC Video…)
(also, be sure to move your mouse-cursor off the video so that the control menu does not obscure the view)
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Did you expect Tiger Woods? Nah….Go Bubba!
I posted the new Richard Mille RM038 ultralight “golf” watch here on Monday, followed by some “who would get to wear it” musing on Twitter. Well, it turns out that Bubba Watson is the man. With a 32nd place finish on the 2010 PGA Tour, “Bubba who?” would be a fair question for you to ask. Indeed, if you are not a big golf fan you have likely never heard of Bubba Watson! Phil Mickleson, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, or yes perhaps even Tiger Woods might have come to your mind. But peel back the onion a bit and the rationale for such an alliance becomes a bit more clear. One of the few “lefty’s” on the tour, Bubba Watson is known for his crushingly long drives, thus providing Richard Mille with the a high technical/physical standard for which to design the watch to. And, well, that’s about all I can come up with. How these two guys got hooked up is a story I will love to hear! Give me a call Bubba! 872-222-8270.
Ultimately, my view on the new RM038/Bubba Watson partnership is that, like Mille’s groundbreaking partnership with Rafael Nadal which shocked the world of tennis, his partnership with Bubba Watson will have a similar impact on the professional golf world. Still, I do hope that Bubba Watston is “here to stay” otherwise this whole thing could fizzle fast. Even so, it is a really cool partnership and I like how Mille tends to align himself with seemingly normal, humble guys who don’t have huge egos despite being better than 99.9% of everyone else who plays the sport they do. So yes, I like the choice and props to Bubba Watson who will be rocking this watch out on the golf course, hopefully soon.
The case of the RM038 is made of an extremely rugged and light magnesium alloy classified as AZ91, composed of magnesium combined with aluminum and zinc plus additional trace metals. The resulting magnesium alloy is more than the sum of the parts, providing a light yet extremely strong material with a dendritic internal crystalline structure making it suitable for extreme applications in the aerospace, telecommunication and automotive industries.
After a long and delicate machining phase, the case is given an electro-plasma treatment named Titalyt II®, covering the surface with a layer of white, crystalline ceramic oxide containing a high ratio of resistant composites.
Photo: WatchProSite
Round and thin, with a platinum micro-rotor…
Richard Mille appears set to show several exemplary watches this month at SIHH 2011 in Geneva. You can see many of them already on Perpetuelle’s Official SIHH 2011 Richard Mille News Feed (RM017 extra flat tourbillon, RM029 big date, RM030 declutchable rotor). And don’t miss Hodinkee’s look at the new RM028 dive watch (for the Americas-only from earlier today.
Now, the particular watch I am showing you here is the new extra flat automatic RM033. Richard Mille’s “high-tech, high-performance” materials and design in combination with an “ultra-thin” form factor and Roman-numerals (usually reserved for conservatively-styled dress watches) makes for an interesting combination. In fact I’m not quite sure I like this combination, at least on-screen. I do appreciate the platinum micro-rotor, though – a new innovation for Mille. This is cool because by using a dense metal such as platinum, the micro-rotor can be decentrally positioned and still wind efficiently — and the extra flat skeletonized movement can be achieved. The skeletonization of the movement – best visible through the backside of the watch is also pretty cool looking.
Finally, keep in mind that while Richard Mille watches get a lot of talk for big watch guys like myself and other bloggers, don’t be seduced into thinking that they can be easily had — in fact these pieces are quite exclusive — by that I mean $50k – $500k+ prices and very limited production.
Richard Mille Extra Flat Automatic RM033
45.7mm (6.3mm thick) titanium case, monoblock platinum micro-rotor
If you want the full specs, just click through to be taken to the Richard Mille SIHH 2011 News Feed.
Right on the heels of the great looking Richard Mille RM 011 Titanium Brown that I blogged about earlier this month, high-tech watchmaker Richard Mille is set to introduce two new editions in his thinnest timepiece collection (8.25mm), the RM 016. The RM016 was first introduced in 2007 as the first rectangular timepiece in the RM lineup. These new models, exclusive for the Americas, feature either a yellow and orange outlined numerals and hands that contrast nicely with the watch’s black DLC titanium case. Presented for the first time on a rubber strap.
Richard Mille is quick to point out that the manufacture and assembly of the case’s three sections require 202 separate machining operations. I guess I am supposed to be impressed by this, but I have no sense of relativity here. Available at authorized Richard Mille retailers in North and South America, as well as the soo- to-be first Richard Mille Americas boutique (Beverly Hills opens in November) for the tidy sum of $65,000. Boo!
Richard Mille RM 016 DLC Titanium ORANGE and RM 016 DLC Titanium YELLOW
Limited Edition of 15 in each color
49.8mm x 38.0mm case, skeletonized automatic winding movement, rotor with variable geometry, water resistant to 30 meters – sapphire crystal and case back
Nice colors for fall season…
Richard Mille, who I would confidently say is now most identified for the watch he created for Rafael Nadal, has extended his exclusive and always limited RM 011 line with a new limited edition “Titanium Brown” piece for the Americas. Priced at $95,000, the new watch marks the first appearance of a brown case in the Richard Mille collection. The strap and dial has a nice “burnt sienna” hue to it, doesn’t it? I also really like what Richard Mille did with the case — the titanium has a PVD treatment on it that results in a rich metallic brown/copper color to it.
Richard Mille – New RM 011 Titanium Brown
30-Piece Limited Edition for the America
50mm x 40mm brown PVD titanium case (16.2mm thick), skeletonized automatic winding movement, flyback chrono, et al
The limited edition will be sold at authorized Richard Mille retailers in North and South America, as well as the first Richard Mille boutique in the region, which opens in Beverly Hills, California, this fall.
Richard Mille Wristwatch Wins Its 3rd Major…
The winningest watch….ever?
The birth of a $525,000 ultra-light Richard Mille wristwatch was announced to the world on April 2, 2010. Since then, this young rising superstar known simply as “the Watch” has won 3 majors — The French Open, Wimbeldon, and most recently the U.S. Open. It is worth noting that, until the Watch ticked quietly onto the court, the U.S Open had proven elusive for young tennis superstar Rafael Nadal (better known as “the Watch’s loyal companion”).
Already the winningest watch in history (virtually all other watches are afraid to even step onto the court for match play), I boldly predict here and now that Rafael Nadal’s Richard Mille watch could become the most successful watch in the history of the sport. In less than 1 year, the Watch already has 3 majors under its belt high-tech rubber strap and there seems to be no intention of stopping now.
In related news, the Watch was quick to thank Rafael Nadal for his continued contributions to the Watch’s winning streak at a recent press conference.
The Watch Wins the U.S. Open – August 30, 2010
© Ella Ling
The Watch Wins Wimbeldon 2010 – June 21, 2010
The Watch Wins the French Open – May 23, 2010
© Ella Ling
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
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