Richard Mille’s RM 35-03 Rafael Nadal gets a pastel update

You don’t win 22 Grand Slams by playing it safe, and Rafael Nadal certainly didn’t. His game has always been known to be physical, high-spirited, and maybe just a little obsessive, and that’s the kind of energy that comes through in the RM 35-03. 

These new pastel-toned variations don’t soften the initial intent behind the watch. If anything, they make its precision feel cooler, more casual, and far less expected. The Quartz TPT® cases are available in salmon and pastel blue, and feature a patented butterfly rotor that provides control over the winding, highlighting just how Richard Mille knows how to build watches that move like athletes do.

The RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal now arrives in two new versions. One is framed in Salmon Quartz TPT® with a caseband in Blue Quartz TPT®, while the other flips the contrast with a Pastel Blue Quartz TPT® case and a Dark Blue Quartz TPT® caseband. 

Under the surface, the engineering speaks for itself. The star feature is still the butterfly rotor, a Richard Mille patented mechanism that lets the wearer manually switch between two modes. There’s a traditional setting for daily wear, and a second, sport-specific setting that disengages the rotor entirely, preventing overwinding during intense physical activity.

The movement itself is the RMAL2 calibre, crafted from grade 5 titanium and built for performance. The butterfly rotor system uses two weighted arms that shift outward or inward depending on the selected mode. This lets the wearer decide when and how the automatic winding system works, offering a new level of interaction.

As for the aesthetics, the watch balances sharp lines with the layered striations of Quartz TPT®, a composite known for its durability and lightweight feel. The colours are part of the technical build, formed through alternating layers of quartz filaments and infused with coloured resin, which produces a marbled effect that’s unique to every piece.

The RM 35-03 might look breezier in its new colourways, but it’s still very much part of Richard Mille’s high-performance lineup. Drawing from the tourbillon watches that Nadal actually wears during matches, the offerings merge elite athletic gear and experimental design pieces.