.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
As one of the star timepieces from the Kronos Collection, we are thrilled to offer this RM27-02. To date, only two prototype specimens have so far been sold at auction, making the present example the first of the numbered limited edition of 50 to be presented at international auction. It offers collectors the unprecedented opportunity to obtain this most elusive Richard Mille model.
When Rafael Nadal first met Richard Mille in 2008, it was to be the start of a long standing friendship and significantly the collaboration was to be the catalyst behind the development and realization of many of Richard Mille’s most extraordinary wristwatches, in particular it lead to the production of the lightest tourbillon wristwatch in the world at that time, the RM027. This remarkable long-term collaboration with Rafael Nadal further resulted in the creation of an awesome ultra-lightweight tourbillon - the RM27-01, made in 2013 in a limited edition of 50 pieces which sold out almost immediately. The present model, the RM27-02, also made in a limited edition of 50 pieces, was officially unveiled by Richard Mille in May 2015 in time for the 114th French Open (Roland Garros), where Rafael Nadal debuted it on-court.
The RM27-02, of which the present watch is number 47 of 50, incorporates several important developments in the evolution of the model. Structurally different to its predecessor, whereas the RM27-01 isolated the movement with a cable suspension system, the RM27-02 aimed for structural rigidity by machining the caseband and movement baseplate from a single piece of Carbon TPT. Using engineering from Formula 1 racing monocoques, the construction of the RM27-02 eliminates the screws and fixings that traditionally connect a movement to a watch case and the cable suspension system of the RM27-01. Moreover, improved barrel technology enabled the movement to have an increased power reserve of 70 hours over the RM27-01’s 45 hours.
The RM 27-02 introduced another huge technological first for Richard Mille with the premiere of Quartz TPT® (Thin Ply Technology) in watchmaking. This groundbreaking ultra-lightweight material has a strength and incredible lightness that is unparalleled, composed of hundreds of layers of quartz interspersed with layers of NTPT carbon, the layers are fused together at 120 degrees Celsius to form a case that is almost indestructible. Also resistant to extremes of temperature and magnetism, it is a near perfect sports watch.
When Rafael Nadal first met Richard Mille in 2008, it was to be the start of a long standing friendship and significantly the collaboration was to be the catalyst behind the development and realization of many of Richard Mille’s most extraordinary wristwatches, in particular it lead to the production of the lightest tourbillon wristwatch in the world at that time, the RM027. This remarkable long-term collaboration with Rafael Nadal further resulted in the creation of an awesome ultra-lightweight tourbillon - the RM27-01, made in 2013 in a limited edition of 50 pieces which sold out almost immediately. The present model, the RM27-02, also made in a limited edition of 50 pieces, was officially unveiled by Richard Mille in May 2015 in time for the 114th French Open (Roland Garros), where Rafael Nadal debuted it on-court.
The RM27-02, of which the present watch is number 47 of 50, incorporates several important developments in the evolution of the model. Structurally different to its predecessor, whereas the RM27-01 isolated the movement with a cable suspension system, the RM27-02 aimed for structural rigidity by machining the caseband and movement baseplate from a single piece of Carbon TPT. Using engineering from Formula 1 racing monocoques, the construction of the RM27-02 eliminates the screws and fixings that traditionally connect a movement to a watch case and the cable suspension system of the RM27-01. Moreover, improved barrel technology enabled the movement to have an increased power reserve of 70 hours over the RM27-01’s 45 hours.
The RM 27-02 introduced another huge technological first for Richard Mille with the premiere of Quartz TPT® (Thin Ply Technology) in watchmaking. This groundbreaking ultra-lightweight material has a strength and incredible lightness that is unparalleled, composed of hundreds of layers of quartz interspersed with layers of NTPT carbon, the layers are fused together at 120 degrees Celsius to form a case that is almost indestructible. Also resistant to extremes of temperature and magnetism, it is a near perfect sports watch.