Nadal's (New) Wristwatch
Rafael Nadal, who fastidiously goes through his pre-match on-court routine and arranges his water bottles meticulously at the end of every change-over, is suddenly wearing a wristwatch this year at Roland Garros. It is the first time Nadal has ever worn a watch during
a pro tennis match. For a tennis player to start wearing a watch during matches is a rather major change in habit for any player, but especially for one such as Nadal who seems to stick close to his routines. In addition, very few players, (Justine Henin is the prime exception) wear watches during matches although many actually have watch endorsements, e.g. Rolex sponsors many players such as Roger Federer, as well as tournaments such as Wimbledon.
It turns out that Nadal is not just wearing any old watch and it didn’t come cheaply either! Apparently, Rafa’s watch, which was designed by Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille, cost $525,000 although it’s not clear that Nadal actually paid for his. The RM 027 Tourbillon model was a custom design for Nadal made of a carbon-composite case and lithium alloys which created an extremely light watch, i.e. weighing only about 20 grams! The watch was part of a limited edition production run of only fifty timepieces, but as we said… they don’t come cheap!
It turns out that Nadal is not just wearing any old watch and it didn’t come cheaply either! Apparently, Rafa’s watch, which was designed by Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille, cost $525,000 although it’s not clear that Nadal actually paid for his. The RM 027 Tourbillon model was a custom design for Nadal made of a carbon-composite case and lithium alloys which created an extremely light watch, i.e. weighing only about 20 grams! The watch was part of a limited edition production run of only fifty timepieces, but as we said… they don’t come cheap!
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