Just
when it seemed like buzz over Venus' controversial, black lace outfit would be hard to top, Rafael Nadal stepped up his on-court style at Roland
Garros - big time. The tennis star hit the court
sporting a $525,000 watch.
Athletes
have been representing luxury watch brands for quite some time, including the likes of Rolex,
Torneau and Citizen. But when the news of Nadal's
partnership with high-end Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille, broke back in April it was a marketing ploy that many had questioned. That's because even the slightest
addition of weight to the wrist of a tennis player could throw off their game.
But Mille took that into consideration when creating the timepiece.
The Tourbillon Watch RM 027 was designed especially for Nadal. The
all black watch with a polyurethane band is the lightest mechanical
watch ever made (only weighing a mere 3.83 grams) and it was designed during
the course of 2 years by the prestigious watchmaker. It's so
exclusive that only 50 pieces will be produced.
And so far
it seems to be working just fine. Nadal coasted through the first two rounds of
the French Open defeating Gianni Mina (6-2, 6-2, 6-2) and Horatio Zeballos
(6-2, 6-2, 6-3), all while wearing the watch.