Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal

 

Richard Mille RM 35-03 Rafael Nadal White Quartz TPT

With variable geometry rotor.

Undoubtedly, Richard Mille, the preeminent manufacturer of exotic and ultra-luxury sports watches, has just unveiled a simple yet intriguing watch, the RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal.

Like earlier watches designed for the Spanish tennis player, the RM 35-03 incorporates technical features to cater to the intense nature of the game - at least the way Mr Nadal plays tennis. In this case, it's a rotor with a variable winding pattern. Therefore, winding can be stopped during competition, preventing excessive wear on the winding mechanism.

initial thought
The RM 35-03 is a time-only watch - it doesn't lack a tourbillon like the famous RM 27 Nadal - but it has all the qualities that make it a Richard Mille, most notably the lightweight barrel shaped case with brightly coloured carbon composite and skeleton dial.

It's a look that makes Richard Mille high quality replica watches scream, and a symbol of wealth and status, as this watch is hard to come by and incredibly expensive. But luckily, while the RM 35 is a "hype" watch, it does have the technical qualities that make it interesting.

The highlight of the RM 35-03 is the patented "butterfly" rotor, which basically consists of two halves that can be rearranged to change the winding efficiency thanks to a clever and simple mechanism.

RM 35-03 is expensive to say the least for a watch without complications. But in Richard Mille's words, it's also affordable, although retail price is often a moot point for this type of watch, given the short availability and long waiting lists.

sport mode
Self-winding watches are usually equipped with a sliding mainspring, which means that when fully wound, the coils of the mainspring slide against the inner walls of the barrel, preventing overwinding and breaking the mainspring.

While this sliding mechanism is a simple and effective setup, it does have one small drawback - constant sliding creates wear as the spring scrapes the inside of the barrel (which is usually well lubricated), creating metal shavings inside the barrel. This is exacerbated by overwinding, in the brand's words, when the rotor "turns the luxury replica watches at full speed when the watch is worn by a person engaged in a sport."

Richard Mille's solution to this problem is intuitive: a rotor with variable geometry can change its center of gravity, effectively changing the winding rate from zero to maximum. Therefore, when the watch is worn in extreme activities, the winding stops completely.

Notably, this feature can be set by the wearer. The rotor's "sport mode" is easily activated via a pusher at the seven o'clock position on the case. This activates a series of gears that change the shape of the winding mass, which watchmakers refer to as a "butterfly" rotor.

The mechanics behind the butterfly rotor are simple at first glance, but intriguing. The rotor consists of two halves, which are indirectly coupled via an intermediate wheel, with a total gear ratio of 1:1. Therefore, the two halves rotate together at the same speed.replica Franck Muller Gravity

The wheels pass through a pivot lever that acts as a mechanical "differential". When this lever is turned, it creates a mechanical offset within the gearing of the two half-rotors, which rotates the two half-rotors to the "open" position - the heart of the ingenious and elegant mechanism.

The lever itself is controlled by a spring-loaded switching cam driven by a "sport mode" pusher. When the pushrod activates sport mode, it releases the spring-loaded cam, which rotates the pivot lever – symmetrically separating the two rotor halves and bringing them into perfect balance. This makes the oscillating weight less susceptible to wrist movements - as the weights are now the same on both sides of the oscillating weight - thus minimising the winding of the mainspring.

When the sport mode is deactivated using the push lever, the cams return to the spring-loaded position, which also resets the pivot lever back to its original position. This causes the two halves of the rotor to move closer to each other, restoring the full winding efficiency of the rotor.replica Bovet Watches

Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal

Case Diameter: 43.15mm x 49.95mm
Height: 13.15mm
Material: Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT crystal
:sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: RMAL2
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds and adjustable "butterfly" rotor
chain: automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats/hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 55 hours

Strap: Rubber with folding clasp