Currently engaged in the European Football Championship, where on Friday he will face Belgium for access to the semi-finals, Roberto Mancini has been in the prestigious role of Technical Commissioner of the Azzurri, the Italian national team, since 2018, having accepted an extremely demanding challenge: to make football's Italy the number one nation in Europe and in the world. And he is trying to do so by wearing the new RM 11-04 Roberto Mancini on his wrist, a watch born out of reflections between the Italian coach and Richard Mille on how to tackle one of the problems that besets coaches on the field, namely: how much playing time is left until the end of the game? Once time ceases to be displayed on the scoreboard, e.g. during extra time, anxiety increases causing players to lose concentration and also affecting game tactics. Time thus appears both as a strategic element and as a source of stress, which can affect the final result. The idea of creating a mechanical watch with a dedicated dial to monitor the two 45-minute halves, recovery and extra time, might seem obvious. However, the display, combined with the use of the flyback chronograph, allows Mancini to have complete control over the time on the pitch: 'As coaches, it is up to us to guide our players perfectly. That's why time must be controlled and managed. It is one of the parameters that can mean victory as well as defeat. The last seconds can be decisive as they still give the possibility to change the outcome of a game. While retaining none of the ingenuity that characterised the RM 11-01, the new RM 11-04 incorporates the brand's latest styling codes, as can be seen in the new crown lines, the variable geometry rotor and the 49.90 x 44.50 mm Carbon TPT case with raised mouldings. The colours of the Italian flag, the Tricolore, as well as the official shade of blue that gives the Azzurri team its nickname, are all nods to Roberto Mancini's sporting past as a player on the national team. They appear all around the movement and dress the bezel, crown, pushers and rubber strap, the latter with a titanium folding clasp. The new case houses the automatic RMAC3 calibre (power reserve is around 55 hours), with grade 5 titanium plate and bridges, equipped with flyback chronograph and annual calendar functions (the date is shown at 12 o'clock, the month, using Arabic numerals, between 4 and 5).
