The ultra high-end watchmaker has an eye for talent, now with two of the world’s best tennis players – Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev – serving as brand ambassadors.

I’m probably a tennis fan as much as I am a watchmaking fan, and when the two can combine... well, need I say more?

Watch brands are very good at striking strategic partnerships with ambassadors of all kinds: models, actors, athletes, depending on their branding strategy and market focus. And the brands are usually quite good in reminding us in the press when one of their ambassador stars makes the headlines.

Recently, that’s been Richard Mille and their brand ambassador Alexander Zverev. The German tennis prodigy is arguably the biggest rising star in the game. At only 19 years old, the towering teen is currently ranked as the 20th best player in the world, but he is projected to become the world number 1 sooner or later.

Add to his tennis talents a cool temperament and good looks, and you have a marketing dream for a brand. No doubt that Richard Mille tapped Zverev to be an ambassador long before he rose to his current heights, as they did for Rafel Nadal. For Rolex and Roger Federer, too, it was the same case. In fact, brands probably have scouting departments that are as thorough as sports teams, always looking for the next big talent.

As a result, Zverev currently plays with a Richard Mille strapped to his wrist – as do all of Richard Mille’s ambassadors, highlighting the light weight of their timepieces. The young Zverev sports the RM 27-01 which weight less than 19g – including the strap. Last year, his model retailed for $740,000.

It was probably music to his sponsor’s ear when they discovered that Zverev would play against Rafel Nadal during the Australian Open last month – one of the most prestigious and most watched tennis events of the year. Nadal, of course, has been a loyal user of the RM 27-02 tourbillon which costs around $775,000.

Zverev and Nadal managed to duke it out over five sets in Australia, going the distance in a match that lasted over 4 hours. In the end, it was the more experienced Nadal that prevailed – only to lose to Rolex man Federer in the final.

But I’m sure Richard Mille was very pleased to have two of its stars battle it out there for all of us to see on television. After all, on that day alone there was about 1.5 million dollars worth of Richard Mille playing on the tennis court.