Despite bowing out of the men’s doubles competition, the Spanish duo’s wrist flexes remain undefeated
Well that was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it? The dream Nadalcaraz doubles partnership at the Paris Olympics has sadly ended. Well done Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, we hope you’re very happy with yourselves, didn’t you realise that it was very important for Rafael Nadal to win a gold medal on the hallowed red clay of Roland Garros in front of an adoring crowd? Come on…
A couple of matches, a lot of fist-pumping and a few thrilling, liquid forehands down the line in the Parisian sunshine, fleeting reminders of one of the great tennis legacies. As (possible) swan songs go, it was pretty good for the king of clay and his likely successor. And while they didn’t get the gold they so craved, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal can take comfort in the fact that no one –even veteran American doubles specialists – can match their on and off-court watch games.
One of the pioneers of rocking a watch that weighs as much as a feather and costs as much as a Ferrari (possibly two Ferraris), Rafa left it all out on the court in his signature Richard Mille RM 27-05, the latest release in a partnership that stretches back to 2008. Back in 2010 Nadal debuted his first RM 27, a game-changer in the elite athlete sponsorship space. A watch that’s both high performance, looks great on a TV camera while ripping winners and holding a giant trophy aloft, and weighed 20 grams.
This edition weighs even less, if that’s possible, coming in at just 11.5 grams (that’s… very light), the RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon is a Bond villain’s lair of a watch, featuring a dramatic black case made from something called Carbon TPT® B.4, a material that was originally used in Formula 1 cars, so you know it must be good.
We’re probably not going to be seeing a whole lot more of Rafa on court with his trusty RM on the wrist, but Carlos Alcaraz is definitely going to be strapping on a Rolex with a big smile on his face for years to come. While Spain’s elder statesman has made it his thing to flex some of the most avant-garde, technically impressive Richard Milles, the young blood of Alcaraz is following in Roger Federer’s more quintessentially classic footsteps – horologically speaking at least. Recently the four-time Grand Slam winner has taken to wearing a grail-worthy Daytona in yellow gold with an intricate meteorite dial and a rubber strap.
Breaking from tradition, Carlitos appears to have switched out the Daytona for a classy 40mm Day-Date with a black baguette dial. The sort of watch you might wear if you’re looking to manifest your first Olympic gold medal… even if it’s not the one you might have wanted to win alongside your idol in a stadium with a statute of him outside.
The dream is over; the memories are forever… the watches are unmatched.