Anyone who watched one of Rafael Nadal’s matches at this year’s Wimbledon saw something that has never been seen in professional tennis; he wore a watch during play. Now while this may not seem like anything crazy to a non-player, to anyone who knows the game this new addition to his wardrobe could certainly affect his play. The added weight of any normal sports watch could affect not only his toss, but his backhand as well. So one knew the watch must be extremely light. We now know that this watch was not only shockingly light, but also shockingly expensive.

The watch Nadal displayed throughout the tournament was none other than a Richard Mille and is entitiled the RM 027. For anyone who doesn’t know, Richard Mille watches are some of the most expensive and intricate in the world. Each is a work of mechanical art as well as a timepiece and a pleasure to look at. The company has always loved challenges and the RM 027 is Mille’s answer to one of the most amazing tasks ever taken on by a watchmaker. To make a watch light enough to not affect Rafa’s play, the company knew it had to have a combined weight of no more than 20 grams. This is the weight of four nickels. Thats including the strap.

The people at Richard Mille did this by using the lightest-weight materials in the world. That meant combining pieces of alloy, titanium, carbon and lithium, which is one of the world’s lightest materials. Add to this a polycarbonate strap and you have yourself a $525,000 watch strong enough to take the hardest wrapping forehand, slicing backhand, dive, slide, and serve the King of Clay can deliver. Nadal has agreed to wear the watch in all Matches and that says a lot about both the watch and the player.