Watch Paparazzi

Royal Jefri Bolkiah spotted wearing Richard Mille

Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, younger brother of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and a collector whose horological holdings are the stuff of industry legend, was photographed on the polo field wearing a Richard Mille RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal. The setting is fitting: few watches are as purpose-built for violent physical activity as this one, and polo is nothing if not violent on the wrist.

The Richard Mille RM 27-02 was introduced in 2015 as the second dedicated collaboration between the brand and Rafael Nadal, following the RM 27-01. Its defining technical achievement is a tourbillon movement suspended inside the case by a cable system — twelve braided cables of just 0.28 mm diameter, made from the same material used in aviation and Formula 1 applications. The entire movement assembly is designed to flex rather than fracture under shock loads, reportedly surviving impacts up to 10,000 Gs during testing. The manually wound caliber RM27-02 beats at 21,600 vph and offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve.

The case of the RM 27-02 is constructed from Quartz TPT®, a composite material developed by Richard Mille in partnership with North Thin Ply Technology. It is produced by layering silica filaments in 45-micron plies at alternating angles, then infusing them with resin under pressure and heat. The result is a material harder than steel and roughly one-fifth its weight, with a distinctive marbled grey-white surface pattern that is unique to each piece. Both the front and back bezels on Prince Jefri's example are rendered in Quartz TPT®, giving the watch its characteristic mineral-veined aesthetic.

The RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal was produced in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, placing it firmly in the upper tier of Richard Mille's already rarefied catalogue. Collectors regard it as one of the brand's most technically coherent references — the engineering rationale is visible and legible, not decorative.

Prince Jefri is no casual enthusiast; he is among a small global cohort for whom a $820,000 wristwatch is an appropriate choice for afternoon sport. On the secondary market, confirmed sales of the RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal have exceeded retail, with demand consistently outpacing the 50-piece supply.