Richard Mille / RM 035
Richard Mille RM 035
Collection profile · 2011
The Richard Mille RM 035 is the original non-tourbillon 'baby Nadal' watch, launched in 2011 as an ultra-light, shock-resistant sports model created for Rafael Nadal. It translated the radical engineering spirit of the RM 027 tennis watches into a time-only platform and became the first Richard Mille to earn Chronofiable certification for durability under demanding conditions.
Collection shots
Pronunciation & name
R-M zero three five
Why it matters
The RM 035 matters because it distilled Richard Mille's Rafael Nadal performance-watch philosophy into a more approachable, time-only family that still pushed materials, weight reduction, shock resistance, and wearability to extremes. It also became a long-running platform for the brand's sports-watch experimentation, evolving from Chronofiable-certified manual-wind engineering into advanced automatic systems like the variable-geometry rotor and butterfly rotor.
Key references
Collection timeline
- 2011 — Richard Mille launches the RM 035 Rafael Nadal, the first watch in the collection and the brand's first Chronofiable-certified timepiece.
- 2014 — The RM 35-01 Rafael Nadal debuts with a Carbon TPT case and the lightweight RMUL3 manual-wind movement.
- 2016 — The RM 35-02 Automatic Rafael Nadal adds self-winding capability through calibre RMAL1 and a variable-geometry rotor.
- 2022 — The RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal arrives as the fourth watch in the RM 035 collection, introducing the patented butterfly rotor after three years of development.
News
- Introducing The Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal 2022 — Hodinkee covered the debut of the RM 35-03 as a new automatic Nadal model with a patented butterfly rotor that lets the wearer disengage winding during intense activity. ↗
- Introducing the Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal 2022 — Revolution reported on the RM 35-03 launch, highlighting the three-year development of the butterfly rotor and framing the watch as the fourth Nadal-signed Richard Mille. ↗
- Press Release | 4 April 2024 | For Immediate Release 2024 — Christie's previewed a Richard Mille RM35-02 'RAFA' in red Quartz TPT among notable watches in its Dubai sale communications, underscoring continuing auction-market interest in the RM 035 family. ↗
- Richard Mille’s Latest RM 35-03 Rafael Nadal Features a Splittable Rotor 2024 — Revolution revisited the RM 35-03 in a black Carbone TPT execution, emphasizing the user-controlled butterfly rotor and boutique-positioned sports-watch appeal. ↗
- How to Collect Richard Mille Watches 2025 — Sotheby's singled out the RM 035 Baby Nadal as a 'holy grail' Richard Mille and explained how the line evolved into the Carbon TPT RM 35-01 and the automatic RM 35-02. ↗
- Richard Mille 'Rafael Nadal Chronofiable', Reference RM035 | An alumagnesium semi-sekeletonised wristwatch, Circa 2012 2026 — Sotheby's listed an RM035 for its April 24, 2026 Hong Kong Important Watches sale, describing the model's 2011 launch, alumagnesium case, and Chronofiable significance. ↗
Fun facts
Collector note 1
Richard Mille describes the RM 35-03 as the fourth watch in the RM 035 collection, confirming that the family grew from one model into a multi-generation Nadal line.
Collector note 2
The original RM 035's movement was stated by Richard Mille to weigh only 4.3 grams, showing how aggressively the brand pursued lightness even in a non-tourbillon sports watch.
Collector note 3
Auction specialists at Sotheby's have referred to the RM 035 as a 'Baby Nadal,' a nickname collectors use for the simpler non-tourbillon Nadal watches.
FAQ
What is the RM 035?
It is Richard Mille's original time-only Rafael Nadal watch, introduced in 2011 as a lighter, simpler counterpart in spirit to the more extreme RM 027 tourbillon tennis watches.
Why is the RM 035 associated with Rafael Nadal?
Richard Mille developed the family within its long partnership with Nadal, designing watches intended for extreme lightness, shock resistance, and real sports use.
What makes the original RM 035 historically important?
Richard Mille says it was the first Richard Mille to receive Chronofiable certification, making it a landmark durability-focused model in the brand's history.
How did the collection evolve after the RM 035?
The line progressed to the Carbon TPT manual-wind RM 35-01 in 2014, the automatic RM 35-02 in 2016, and the butterfly-rotor RM 35-03 in 2022.
More from Richard Mille
- RM 011
— The flyback chronograph with annual calendar — the brand's best-selling and most iconic model, defining the tonneau-shaped Richard Mille silhouette. - RM 027
— Created for Rafael Nadal, weighing just 20 grams including the strap — one of the lightest mechanical watches ever produced, using carbon TPT and titanium. - Bonbon
— A playful, candy-themed collection featuring fruit and sweet-shaped cases in vivid colours, targeting younger collectors with a more whimsical aesthetic.