Tennis player Rafael Nadal spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Rafael Nadal was recently spotted wearing the Richard Mille RM 35-01 in Carbon NTPT, the second fruit of his long-standing partnership with the Swiss-French manufacture. The sighting serves as a timely reminder that this reference — introduced in 2016 — is reportedly heading toward discontinuation, a development that sharpens collector interest considerably.

The RM 35-01 builds directly on the legacy of the RM 035, the first Nadal collaboration launched in 2010. Where the RM 035 pioneered the use of NTPT Carbon in a tonneau-shaped sports case, the RM 35-01 refined the concept with an updated skeletonized movement: the in-house caliber RMAL1, a manual-winding tourbillon-free movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 55-hour power reserve. The baseplate and bridges are crafted from grade-5 titanium, keeping total movement weight to a minimum. Water resistance is rated to 50 metres, and the case measures approximately 50.15mm × 38.70mm × 13.15mm — substantial dimensions that sit surprisingly comfortably, courtesy of the sub-20-gram total weight.

Carbon NTPT is not carbon fibre in the conventional sense. Richard Mille sources sheets of prepreg carbon filaments wound at 45-degree angles and fused under extreme heat and pressure, producing a distinctive wood-grain-like surface that is unique to every single case. No two RM 35-01 cases are visually identical — a fact that resonates strongly with collectors who prize material authenticity over cosmetic uniformity.

Nadal has worn Richard Mille pieces on court since 2010, placing extraordinary real-world stress on each reference — a marketing statement no advertising budget could replicate. The RM 35-01 specifically was designed to withstand the shock loads generated during a professional tennis serve, validated through collaboration with biomechanics engineers. For collectors, ownership carries an implicit endorsement from one of sport's most physically demanding careers.

With a list price of $150,000 and grey-market values currently trading around $250,000, the RM 35-01 commands a robust premium above retail — a spread that historically widens further when production ends. If discontinuation rumors prove accurate, this may represent one of the last opportunities to acquire the reference near its current secondary-market floor.