Hardik Pandya Flexes His Richard Mille RM 27-04 Manual Winding Tourbillon Rafael Nadal Costing Much More Than The Asia Cup Total Prize Money
Rafael Nadal first wore the Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon during the Roland Garros 2020 tournament, and has worn it during notable matches, such as the Australian Open
As Team India prepares for one of the most awaited tournaments, the Asia Cup 2025 that is being hosted by UAE, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya posted a photo on his social media wearing a Richard Mille Manual Winding Tourbillon Rafael Nadal RM 27-04. The photo has gained more than two million likes on his profile. This rare timepiece was released in 2020 and the current value is around ₹20 crore, overshadowing the tournament’s prize money.
Richard Mille Manual Winding Tourbillon Rafael Nadal RM 27-04
Sized at 38.4mm, the case is sandblasted with polished surfaces is crafted from TitaCarb (a combination of titanium and carbon fibre). This high-performance polyamide has been strengthened with 38.5% carbon fibre content. The skeleton dial is inspired by strings of a tennis racquet, and Richard Mille has anchored the steel cable to a tensioner positioned at 5 o’clock and then creates the mesh, tying each of the main strings before adding the cross strings.
The cable weaves above and below the main strings, passing 38 times through the hollow bezel of grade 5 titanium before ending in a tensioner at 10 o’clock. The movement is diagonally positioned and attached to the mesh by five grade 5 polished titanium hooks with gold PVD coating that protrude from the back of the baseplate.
The RM 27-04 strikes a balance between lightweight design (at 30gm with the strap) and great resilience. Its tourbillon calibre, which is suspended within the case, can withstand accelerations of almost 12,000 g, a record for Richard Mille. The entire movement is supported by a micro-blasted mesh made out of a single braided steel cable, and has two PVD-treated gold tensioners. The timepiece has only hour, and minute hands, and is powered by calibre RM27-04, a manual winding movement with a 38-hour power reserve.
Who is Richard Mille?
Richard Mille began his horological career in the 1970s with the French watchmaking company Finhor which was bought by Matra in 1981, and that’s when he started to excel. He rose through the ranks, eventually running the entire watchmaking operation. After about a decade, Mille left Matra (which by then had been acquired by Seiko) and took on a position leading a new watchmaking endeavor by Mauboussin, a jewellery firm looking to get into the luxury watch market. Towards the end of the 90s, Mille finally took the leap to start his own brand.
He began his venture by collaborating with Audemars Piguet (which is now a 10% shareholder of Richard Mille). The concept was to bring watchmaking up to speed with the 21st century. With Mille’s extensive, technical experience and progressive mindset, the Richard Mille brand did exactly that. Within 2 years (circa 2001), he released its first tourbillon watch, the RM001 at Baselworld.
What Makes The Watches Sought After?
Richard Mille watches are distinguished not only by their design, but also by their use of cutting-edge materials. They are well-known for using materials commonly found in F1 cars, aerospace sectors, and racing boats. They are not just revolutionary materials in watchmaking; they are also incredibly forward-thinking in even the most technologically advanced sectors. Some novelties use materials such as carbon nanotubes hardened with ceramic (NTPT carbon), gold fused with carbon and quartz (Gold Carbon TPT), perfluoroelastomer, and silicon nitride. North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) is a rather new form of carbon that the watch industry has started to use. First, ultra fine carbon fibres are produced from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor through a high temperature process. These extremely thin fibres are then woven with resin, and then stacked by an automated process with each layer rotated 45 degrees to the one below it. This gives NTPT carbon its wavy appearance, and enhanced properties.
Scarcity
Scarcity is what makes Richard Mille watches exclusive. They make only 5,000 watches a year and many models are just limited edition, and with a strong presence in the auction market, it just accentuates the whole experience.
Complicated Movements
The RM008 was the first reference offering both a tourbillon and a split second function. Mille’s movement parts are composed of materials like 6% aluminium, 4% vanadium and 90% grade 5 titanium.
RM Special Editions and Collaborations
The Richard Mille RM 57-01 Tourbillon Phoenix and Dragon was created for Hollywood star Jackie Chan and had a manual winding tourbillion movement, limited to only 15 pieces. The dial had a hand-painting dragon around the dial. RM38-02 Manual Winding Tourbillon Bubba Watson was created in collaboration with Bubba Watson, RM 111-04 Automatic Winding Flyback Chronograph Roberto Mancini, RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams.
So the matter of Richard Mille’s price tag is extremely subjective. It completely relies on the individual, his or her priorities, and approach. A Richard Mille watch provides a level of status and brilliance that is difficult to match in the world of luxury watches.