In recent years, sports competitions have been increasingly followed by fans all over the world.
In 2023, for instance, 67% of the world’s population said they actively follow sports.
It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, broadcasting platforms allow you to follow your favorite sport and athletes across the globe.
This growing interest has led to more brands getting involved as sponsors, and the watchmaking industry is no exception. I’m sure you’ve noticed that most teams and athletes either wear a watch on their wrist or display the brand’s logo on their uniforms.
Take Formula 1, for example. Every team has its own watch sponsor, and drivers proudly wear timepieces designed specifically for them. Consider also the significant investment made by LVMH at the beginning of the year: TAG Heuer has taken over Rolex’s role as the official timekeeper of the F1 races.
Or look at cycling. The Tour de France just wrapped up, and if you looked closely at the wrists of top cyclists like Pogacar or Van der Poel, you probably spotted a Richard Mille, and maybe even a Tudor, since Tudor is the main sponsor of an entire team. This partnership even led to the creation of, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful watches in their catalog: the carbon chronograph.
Another great example? The long-standing relationship between Alinghi and the watch industry, first with Audemars Piguet, and more recently with Tudor, resulting in impressive time-only and chronograph models.
Over the past few years, the brand that has most embraced the sports world as both inspiration and testing ground is Richard Mille. Not only do they collaborate with athletes, but they design watches they can actually wear during competitions, watches that can endure the intense physical demands of high-level sports.
In this article, we’ll explore the sports Richard Mille is currently involved in, and consider where there might be exciting opportunities for the brand in the future.
Tennis, the partnership with Rafa Nadal, The RM 27
Probably the best example of watches designed specifically for athletes is the RM 27 collection, created for, and with, tennis star Rafa Nadal.
Back in 2010, when the brand set out to design a timepiece capable of withstanding extreme acceleration forces while remaining ultra-light on the wrist (so as not to hinder arm movement during matches), the challenge was massive.
Yet, Richard Mille managed to meet all of Nadal’s needs, and in 2010 launched the RM 027. The result was something truly unique: a tourbillon watch weighing less than 20 grams, including the strap, capable of absorbing several hundred Gs.
What’s crazy to me is how, starting from the wild idea of getting one of the greatest tennis players in the world to actually wear your watch on the court, they ended up achieving groundbreaking technical results. The outcome wasn’t just a tremendously sophisticated timepiece, it was also an incredible marketing success that pushed the brand toward creating watches tailored specifically to athletes’ needs.
Cycling, on the wrist of the winners
Richard Mille’s ability to understand not just sports, but also the athletes who wear their watches, is truly unique.
By putting one of their timepieces on the wrist of the UAE Team Emirates, the brand has been able, within the world of cycling, to accompany the early years of one of the greatest stars of modern cycling: Tadej Pogačar.
Once again, the key requirement is an ultra-light watch, one that doesn’t interfere with the wrist, especially in a sport where every detail is optimized down to the last gram, and nothing can be allowed to compromise performance.
The most iconic photo that, in my opinion, perfectly captures the relationship between the brand and Tadej’s spirit?
The one taken after Paris–Roubaix 2025, with his wrist bloodied.
Polo, another way to protect the watch, the RM 053
Just like the other sports we’ve discussed so far, polo is also an incredibly demanding and high-impact discipline, full of sudden changes in direction, abrupt movements, and collisions between horses and riders.
However, this didn’t stop Richard Mille from taking on the challenge. On the contrary, it pushed the brand to innovate even further.
Many of you may be familiar with the story of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, a watch originally created for polo players, allowing them to protect the fragile crystal during matches by flipping the case.
Inspired by that same principle, in 2012, after working closely with one of the world’s top athletes, Pablo Mac Donough, Richard Mille introduced their own watch specifically designed for the sport: the RM 053.
The result is something truly unique. While it maintains RM’s signature tonneau-shaped case, it features two small windows: one for hours and minutes, and another for the tourbillon with seconds. Both displays are angled at 30 degrees, allowing the time to be read easily during play. Instead of a traditional crystal, the front is protected by a robust armor of titanium carbide, built to withstand the intense shocks and impacts of a polo match.
What’s next for Richard Mille?
But what’s the next step?
After already achieving what once seemed impossible, what does the future hold for Richard Mille?
Given that their creations have always been innovative and unconventional, it’s hard to say. But to even begin answering this question, we need to look at challenges that more traditional brands still hesitate to take on.
An example? Why not a timepiece built for high-intensity water sports?
The brand has never heavily invested in this segment, but the challenge of developing a watch capable of withstanding extreme pressure, while still maintaining the lightness and technical complexity that define Richard Mille, would be perfectly in line with their spirit.
We’ve already seen G-force sensors integrated into watches made in collaboration with F1 drivers. So why not a depth gauge this time?
Or what if they took on a completely different kind of challenge, creating timepieces designed to accompany climbers and mountaineers to the world’s most extreme peaks?
A perfect way to showcase the incredible resilience of their movements in conditions that are typically hostile to mechanical watches.
It’s hard to imagine what Richard Mille might be thinking as he designs his next creation.
One thing is certain: he’ll surprise us.
Follow us on our social media channels to stay up to date with the latest news from the world of watchmaking, and discover what’s new on Watchype.
