“In our respective domains, we both seek to achieve excellence. We speak the same language, Richard Mille and I. We’re both passionate about our work. Keeping alive this flame of passion for what we do each day is essential to me. It is heart-warming to feel the confidence that he and the teams show in allowing me to participate in this singular adventure,” Nadal was quoted as saying in the press release.
The latest model — the RM35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal — exemplifies the shared pursuit of innovation. Developed over three years, the fourth watch in the RM035 Collection introduces a new winding mechanism named the “butterfly rotor”.
The time period was necessary to develop the new system for the movement winding, which takes the form of the RM35-03. While the Calibre RMAL 1 of the RM30-02 already featured a variable-geometry rotor, a signature component of Richard Mille’s automatic movements, the butterfly rotor of the RM35-03 allows the wearer to directly interact with the rotor’s geometry. This allows the wearer to control the movement’s winding speed to adapt to lifestyle and activity levels, making it a complication that is both playful and practical in equal measure.
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“Previously, any modification of the rotor’s geometry needed to be done by one of our licensed watchmakers. We have perfected this system and given wearers the possibility of directly acting on the watch’s winding speed,’ explains Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movements. ‘It’s like a driver being able to adjust the transmission style from city use to racetrack by activating the sports mode.”
The butterfly rotor consists of two grade 5 titanium arms mounted with heavy metal weight segments, activated by a separate gear train via a dedicated push-piece. In their initial position, the weight segments create a radial outward displacement of the gravitational centre, converting the wearer’s every movement into the torque needed to rewind the barrel.
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However, the magic happens when you press the push-piece at 7 o’clock. The rotor’s gears then spread the two weights to a 180° angle. With that, the gravitational centre is aligned and the rotor returns to a balanced position, suspending the winding process and, in doing so, preventing excessive winding of the movement.
It is during the transition from the normal mode, which winds the barrel spring, to the sports mode that the rotor activity is suspended, putting pressure on the push-piece, which then prompts the function to deliver haptic feedback. This allows the wearer to actually feel the weight segments springing apart on the wrist.
A winding indicator at 6 o’clock on the dial shows whether the oscillating weight is active. The movement commands culminate with a function selector. By pressing the push-piece at 2 o’clock, the user may switch between winding (W), neutral (N), and time-setting (H) modes.
The RM35-03 is available in three versions — blue and white Quartz TPT Carbon TPT and white Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT — each featuring cut-outs inspired by the RM27-04 Tourbillon. As the timepiece is entirely skeletonised, the movement can be admired from both sides, thanks to the sapphire crystals on the front and back.
Furthermore, the baseplate and bridges, crafted from grade 5 titanium and finished with grey electroplating and PVD treatment, create a bold visual statement.
Enhancing the timepiece are openwork hands that sweep along the outer flange, also in microblasted grade 5 titanium, punctuated by the numbers 3, 6, 9, and 12, and slanted inward toward the movement to enhance depth.
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“This new function, which you can actually feel in the wrist, is when the two weights instantly unfold on activation by means of the push-piece, has given rise to a truly innovative approach to the watch,” explains Arbona. “The styling of the case, the transparency of the movement … in this RM35-03, which in technical terms, represents a major step forward in the collection, all the characteristics typical of Richard Mille are to be found.”
This elegant exterior visually highlights the technical prowess of the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal. With athletic and ergonomic lines, the RM35-03, with its amazing “butterfly rotor”, allows the wearer to truly experience their watch as an extension of the body.
It is the philosophy of Richard Mille that a watch be a practical accessory — that it should be useful and reliable, regardless of whatever the owner is doing. Inspired by the collection of RM027 tourbillon watches that Nadal wears on the tennis court, the “baby Nadal” collection is designed for performance-driven individuals. The RM35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, the fourth timepiece in the collection, earns its place in this distinguished line-up and brings with it a patented innovation: the butterfly rotor.
The RM35-03 symbolises Richard Mille’s quest for innovation. With the RM35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, the firm’s engineers revolutionised the notion of variable geometry with a complication that is in equal measure playful and practical.
