I first came into contact with the plans for the watch over a year ago. Richard was in London for some business with retailers, and I had the chance to talk to him. As the conversation moved from one topic to another, I asked him what was new. A glint in the eye, a furtive look around, and he opened the folder he was carrying. I have a new watch, lighter than the 009, and for Nadal. Nadal the tennis player? I replied. Yes, it has to be light, it has to be able to withstand constant shocks, it has to be … beautiful. Look, he exclaimed, flicking through the papers in the folder, as he showed me the drawings. Look at the shock absorbers, the bridges, and the case will be a polymer carbon; under 20 grams including the strap. I looked, studied; how was this going to come about? It was an ultra-light tourbillon that was simply stunning. It would be lighter than the RM009; it had to be, Nadal would be wearing it on his racquet arm.
I saw the prototype at SIHH, and then in Les Breuleux. Out of all the ‘special’ tourbillons that Richard had designed and made, I had always loved the RM006 the best. I loved the way the movement was built up from the baseplate. It gave it a 3 dimensional aspect to the movement that would draw the eye and the owner can see the mechanics as a sculpture, rather than a movement with the parts of the plate cut away. The same type of movement is evident in the RM019. The RM027 is a return to that style of watch, only in this instance the movement is suspended over the baseplate using a platform held to the front element plate of the case.