STYLE Edit: Inside Richard Mille and elite athletes’ friendships, from tennis legend Rafael Nadal and golf star Bubba Watson, to F1 driver Charles Leclerc, high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim and more

Sep 28 , 2022

Rafael Nadal has a long-time friendship with Swiss luxury watch brand Richard Mille. Photos: Rafael Nadal

As a maker of timepieces that push the boundaries of horological possibility, Richard Mille is a natural fit with the high octane world of elite sport. The innovative Swiss luxury watchmaker has numerous partnerships with stars of the sporting firmament, joining forces with athletes who match its brand values and demonstrate its watches’ peak performance by wearing them on the pitch, track, course or court.

With many of those partners, the relationship goes far beyond the role of brand ambassador. In particular, Rafael Nadal and Bubba Watson, legends of tennis and golf respectively, have become lifelong friends of the brand, partnering with it for more than a decade.

Nadal, one of the greatest tennis players of all time with 22 grand slam singles titles – including an incredible record number of French Open wins, at 14 – has been a member of the Richard Mille family since 2010.

“Rafa and I have a lifelong commitment. We are there come rain or shine. It is more than just watchmaking – it’s life!” says Richard Mille, co-founder of the brand.

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Richard Mille RM 35-03 is the fourth watch in the RM 035 Automatic Rafael Nadal collection.

The partnership has resulted in no fewer than nine different timepieces, including the RM 027 collection – the watches that the Spanish star wears on court – as well as the most recent addition, the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, the fourth watch in the RM 035 collection. It marks the debut of entirely novel winding mechanism that took three years to develop.

Known as a butterfly rotor for its shape, it is controlled by a pusher at 2 o’clock and can toggle between neutral, winding and time-setting modes, providing the wearer with haptic feedback when it does so. The watch comes with a case made from Richard Mille’s own Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT materials, in a choice of blue and white colour combinations.

Bubba Watson is known for his obsession with the colour pink – and pushed for a pink Richard Mille timepiece.

Two-time Major winner Bubba Watson is one of golf’s modern greats, renowned in particular for his phenomenally powerful driving. He is also known as a colourful personality who’s obsessed with the colour pink, which famously appears on the shaft of his driver. He has been a member of the Richard Mille family since 2011, and over the years has consistently tried to persuade the watchmaker to produce a pink timepiece.

“I’ve spent my life trying to ‘go above and beyond’. Richard is the same. It’s not about being aggressive or even showing off. It’s about trying to create stuff, trying to go to the moon, venturing into your own private deep space! That’s what I love so much about the company. That’s the beauty of the whole brand,” says Watson.

The Richard Mille RM38-02W takes Bubba Watson’s favourite colour to new highs.

That wish was finally granted with the launch of the RM 38-02 Tourbillon Bubba Watson. Reflecting the golfer’s quirky character, it comes with an asymmetrical case in pink and white Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT, alongside an openworked dial and bezel. Designed to withstand the high speed stresses of a golf swing, it is capable of withstanding shocks of at least 10,000G.

Driving change with Amanda Mille, daughter of Richard Mille

Formula One driver Charles Leclerc is often spotted wearing Richard Mille timepieces. Photo: Charles Leclerc

Another Richard Mille show-stopper, the RM 67-02 Automatic Extra Flat, is loved by practitioners of a wide range of sports. The brand’s lightest automatic watch at just 32 grams, with a bezel, caseband and caseback assembly measuring a slimline 7.8mm and a case of Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, it was designed with adaptability in mind, suited to various sports and customisable by the brand’s partners in the colours of their countries.

Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) wins the gold medal in High Jump Men during the Athletics World Championships 2017, at Olympic Stadium, in London, United Kingdom – while wearing a Richard Mille watch. Photo: DDPI/KMSP

Among those partners to date are South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim, Monégasque Formula One driver Charles Leclerc, French rally driver Sébastien Ogier, French skier Alexis Pinturault and Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø.

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Style Edit

The Swiss brand is known for its peak performance in watches, as seen on the pitch, track, course and court – it’s one of the reasons why Nadal such a fan
Meanwhile, athletes like Wayde van Niekerk, Mutaz Essa Barshim, Sébastien Ogier, Alexis Pinturault and Johannes Thingnes Bø have all sported a custom RM 67-02