RICHARD MILLE – Horological Wizard and Car Buff

Richard Mille, one of the largest sponsors of Le Mans Classic, has soft spot for mechanical wonders. Worldtempus tagged along for the petrol-injected event.





The legendary Le Mans racetracks once again hosted approximately 460 competing racecars, while the surrounding paddocks hosted more than 8,000 exhibited cars—all of which represented the opposite of environmentally sound or anything that would remotely fit the description of a modern car. Le Mans, which took place July 9-11, is all about good old-fashioned power, noise and—well—Richard Mille.

RICHARD MILLE – New RM 011 DLC Titanium Orange

30-Piece Limited Edition for the America

Press Release 

Following the success of RM 011 special editions created exclusively for North and South America in 2009, Richard Mille introduces the first limited edition of 2010 for the hemisphere: RM 011 DLC Titanium Orange.

RICHARD MILLE - RM 028 Les Voiles de St Bart, limited edition

This 100-piece special edition pays tribute to the international yacht race that takes place in the Caribbean waters surrounding St Barth from April 6th to 11th, 2010.




Press Release

With the introduction of the RM 028 in 2009, Richard Mille combined the exceptional case and skeletonized movement that has become the hallmark of all Richard Mille watches, with the specific timepiece features required of divers and sailors alike.

Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon

Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal

Now if you know anything about tennis you’ll instantly realize what a big deal this is as any slight shift in weight on a player can dramatically change their game. Therefore, if this partnership was ever going to succeed it was imperative that the company produce a piece that satisfied Rafa’s strict requirements.

And so they did.

Proving A Point
It’s important to realize that making a watch lighter, especially one as complicated as the RM 027 Tourbillon, is not just a matter of using lighter weight materials. It still needs to be accurate and reliable, as well as be able to withstand the shocks and impacts of everyday use, which in this case are greatly magnified given that the piece is strapped to one of the strongest, most active wrists in the world.

However, Richard Mille was sure it could be done. After all, they had already achieved similar success with the RM 006 (42 g without strap) and the RM 009 (29 g without strap) so this next step was simply the logical progression in the process. That didn’t mean it would be easy though.

Then again, it wasn’t like the brand was new to this area of watchmaking.

RICHARD MILLE RM016 Tempus Special Limited Edition

The launch of any new Richard Mille watch has become something of an event in recent years. Their daring and avant-garde designs, which are closer in resemblance to NASA inventions than luxury timepieces, never fail to captivate the imagination of watch collectors everywhere, making it one of the most sought-after brands in the market today.

It is thus noteworthy that Richard Mille will be releasing a limited edition of the RM016 at Tempus – The Temple of Time event in Singapore – this month. Hour Glass, the organizer of this event, has garnered the support of prominent brands to produce limited edition pieces to make up an All-Black Commemorative Collection in which the RM016 will feature as a highlight.

As with the current trend for black-cased watches, the RM016 Limited Edition has been subjected to Physical Vapor Disposition (PVD) to give it its color. Like its regular gold cousin, its rectangular watchcase is a deviation from Richard Mille's characteristic tonneau-shaped cases, while its black color gives it a veneer of stealth.

And it is only a veneer, as this is not a watch that will blend in with the crowd. Bold numerals adorn the face, with the transparent dial showcasing the movement even from the front. The lines of the case are sculpted and unmistakably masculine. Lovely details abound, my favorite being the crown of the watch. Made large with intricate design elements, it adds a real sense of quality to the whole watch and is a joy to grip. The case and bridges are all held together by grade five titanium spline screws.

While this watch is undoubtedly striking, it is still relatively discreet. On the wrist, its relatively thin case – unusual for Richard Mille – makes for more versatility when worn under a shirt. And an owner can confidently put the watch’s rugged looks to the test, as RM016 houses a rotor with adjustable wings, allowing winding of the mainspring to be accelerated or slowed down, depending on the user’s level of activity.

All in all, the watch is striking without being vulgar, and exudes an aura of confidence and contemporary taste. In a limited series of 25 pieces (numbered 1 to 28, excluding the traditionally unlucky numbers of 4, 14 and 24), this is one of those timepieces that many desire but which few will have the pleasure of owning.

 

Richard Mille (Hardcover)

Richard Mille-RM011 Felipe Massa Watch Hands-On

 

Richard Mille-RM011

Richard Mille was attending SIHH for the first time last month and I was there to check out their wares. One of their most popular models is the RM011 Felipe Massa line of watches. The Brazilian race car driver's name is attached to the watch because he actually wears the timepiece (and likely other Richard Mille watches) most all the time. He even had a serious wreck while wearing a Richard Mille watch. He, and the watch, walked away fine though. Above is an image of the gold version of this watch and in the gallery you can see be modeling the titanium version with a chic white rubber strap.

The watch isn't quite as large as its grand appearance would have you believe. Still it is not a small watch and is best for suitably sized wrists as the piece itself is rather long. The curved tonneau-shaped case is designed with the utmost attention to detail with a fine finishing that feels more like a precision tool than jewelry (and this is part of the point). The RM011 automatic movement features a big date and flyback chronograph. The movement has been designed to serve as the dial of the watch, and looks helplessly cool in the process. On the back of the watch you can see the exposed automatic rotor through the sapphire crystal in a style that only Richard Mille has been able to achieve.

This super hot brand is making strides by proving that people are still interested in very high quality, very expensive sport watches, The brand often likes to show case the interesting technologies and materials that they use. At closer to $100,000 in price, these are for the most serious watch consumers. Also I predict that watches like this have a more than ephemeral appeal, and will be popular items in the auction houses in years to come.

Nothing standard about Richard Mille

I love wristwatches. I love the traditional movements perfected over the last three centuries. However my eyes are always scanning for completely new ways that time is displayed. Richard Mille is a perfect example of futuristic movements. His watches are so … mechanical. He is a watch manufacturer of the new millennium. After several years of intense technical design development, he presented his RM-001-1 privately. Very soon his watches were synonymous with extreme cutting edge and high tech concepts. The technological concepts and materials of the RM-001-1 tourbillon and its many high tech successors were inspired by the Formula 1 racing car. In the first model Richard Mille had a no nonsense, no superfluous frills ideal of a Timepiece. Richard Mille is passionate about Formula 1 and the tremendous technological power that drives it, he extended that power and passion to his watches. Whether watch or Formula 1 car, both are a symbiotic workings of high performance parts which must fulfill their function with a large margin of security and resistance to shocks and stress. So that in both cases perfection is reached thus ensuring the optimum performance results even under duress. Each and every part is individually developed and no standard parts will be found in a Richard Mille high performance time-piece.

Richard Mille has developed its own unique approach to watch-making thereby increasing its strength in the highly competitive watch-making industry. Many watch manufacturers order standard parts from mass suppliers to build a watch and many reinvent old watch concepts from previous models. Richard Mille is a young company and thus has compltely fresh ideas, in addition no parts come standard and every part down to the last screw is designed with precise dimensions. Each piece has an individual requirement which will be crafted to the minutest detail. Richard Mille requires of its watchmakers many years of specialized watchmaking experience, materials are chosen with care.

The drive to create the image of perfection is displayed with incredible clarity in every Richard Mille Watch.

The watch above is one of Richard Mille’s latest: The RM 016. It has the same movement as the RM 010, with a baseplate, bridges and balance cock of PVD-coated titanium. This watch has an astounding 55 hours of power reserve and its rotor is fitted with ceramic rotor ball bearings.

This is the back of the RM 007, those strange round things are actually 100 microballs of gold. These microballs are placed in a rotor weight fitted on a red-gold rotor. The balls allow for better shock absorption and more efficient winding, and it provides an interesting topic of conversation.

The RM007 is available from simple elegant precious metals, to completely covered in diamonds or diamonds and other precious gems in various colors and designs.

This is the RM012 Tourbillon with its unique tubular baseplate and bridge construction for a watch made with Phinox - chosen for its resistance to corrosion and fatigue as well as thermal and mechanical shocks. It has a power reserve of 48 hours, variable inertia balance with overcoil, platinum adjustment screws with blue movement jewels. It is the first watch crafted with going train wheels made of Anticorodal aluminum.

Richard Mille has many firsts in the watchmaking industry which just goes to show his incredible ability to blend old-world watchmaking traditions with futuristic materials and high-end technology for performance watches.

RICHARD MILLE - New impulses

In a moment of simultaneous recollection and foresight, the RM 021 Tourbillon Aerodyne is introduced together with four other new releases.

 

RM 021

Richard Mille’s pioneering reputation began eight years ago. Now, in a moment of simultaneous recollection and foresight, the RM 021 Tourbillon Aerodyne is introduced together with four other new releases. Orthorhombic titanium aluminides are new group of alloys, developed from the main class of titanium aluminides, which possess a specific crystalline molecular structure ordered on the orthorhombic phase of Ti2AlNb. The actual shape of the baseplate itself as seen from the dial side resembles the trench-like V-shaped profile of a flying wing aircraft where the wing tips are positioned higher than the central body of the aircraft itself. The winding barrel and the tourbillon are both placed in the central depth of this aerodynamic structure, balancing on light and airy bridges with four arms on two sides.

 

RM 019

The first and most striking feature of the RM 019 Ladies’ Tourbillon is the diamond studded Celtic Knot that weaves itself over and through various parts of the movement, connecting and joining the winding barrel, power reserve indicator and tourbillon in an endless cycle. The baseplate of the watch has been made from black onyx which is considered as a stone of protection against negative thoughts, as well being the stone of equilibrium and inspiration. In keeping with the technical nature of all watches created by the brand, the RM 019 utilizes a newly developed power reserve indicator that makes use of a differential gearing system, directly connected to the winding barrel.

 

RM 007 Titalyt

While the Richard Mille signature immediately catches the eye, so too does the feminine nature of the RM 007 Titalyt. A process of titanium oxidation by electro-plasma improves the strength of the metal, and consequently its ability to resist scratching, wear and tear, and corrosion, according to Standard AMS 2488D. The biocompatible treatment is applied in some of the most cutting-edge sectors, from automobile racing to the aerospace industry to hightech medicine. Thanks to this material, unseen in watchmaking prior to the release of the RM 016 Titalyt®, the RM 007 gains greater strength and elegance, and proves once more that Richard Mille has devoted a prominent place in his collection to Ladies watches.

 

RM 016 Titalyt

The RM 016 Titalyt® features a rectangular case with a multitude of details eloquently testifying to the 400 or so hours of technical research that were lavished on producing this rare and precious object. Its variable-geometry rotor also serves to adapt the automatic winding to the user’s activity level, such as when engaging in sports. The inertia of the rotor can be modified by adjusting the position of the V-shaped ribs so as to accelerate the winding process in case of gentle arm and hand movements, and slow it down in case of intense activity.

 

RM 023

Designed for both men and women, the new skeletonized RM 023 unites everything essential in Richard Mille’s philosophy with a sophisticated appearance. While the case size of the RM 023 combined with the new asymmetrical dial and crown brings an air of elegance to the exterior, the interior is focused solely on timekeeping and nothing else. Great attention to every detail is ensured, starting with the winding rotor and its white gold V-shaped ribs and variable geometry, which can be personally adjusted to each wearer’s activity level before leaving the workshop. The weight segment along the outer edge is milled from a special tungsten/cobalt alloy, with the rotor’s ball bearings created from synthetic ceramics. The special double barrel system lowers wear and tear on the movement, also evening out any variations in the flow of power to the movement. The PVD treated titanium baseplate, bridges and balancecock with many skeletonized parts have been developed to guarantee excellent rigidity and accurate surface flatness, which in the case of skeletonized movements requires additional considerations.


ALL THIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE

 

RM 025

Visually, the RM 025 Tourbillon Diver’s watch, which has been awarded in the Sports Watch category at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, breaks with the iconic Richard Mille case, yet this is a change born directly from technical necessity, as it is suitable for the world of diving and the demands of the deep sea. The unique tripartite case is complemented by the additional integration of the lugs into the case’s torque screw system, as well as the torque limiting crown and a new design of watertight pushers. The bezel is also unlike any other. It is constructed of three layers, connected with 24 screws, turning unidirectionally following ISO 6425 norms in order to avoid timing miscalculations. In addition, the entire bezel system is screwed to the watchcase, making it absolutely stable as well as impossible to inadvertently dislocate or loosen. All this attention to detail is just the icing on the cake however; within ticks the calibre RM 025, a carbon nanofibre movement which unites two extremes: the complication of a tourbillon with the notorious complexities of a chronograph movement.

 

RM 004-V2 All Gray

Just like the shockwave that went though the Swiss watch industry when the first haute horlogerie watches appeared in steel cases rather than gold – half a century ago – Richard Mille shocked everyone by creating tourbillons with titanium cases and movements. This first step was quickly followed by the use of carbon nanofibre for movement baseplates, marking the premier use of this material in watchmaking. Celebrating these new experimental developments in 21st century watchmaking, and driven by the desire to create a new alternative, Richard Mille has created the All Gray series. Each watch in this series has a carbon nanofibre baseplate with a special grey PVD coating combined with a case of microblasted titanium.





TECHNICAL INFORMATIONS


RM 021

Case: titanium also available in 18-carat red or white gold
Dimensions: 48x39.30 mm
Movement: manual winding tourbillon
Functions: 70h power reserve, torque indicator and function selector, baseplate
in orthorhombic titanium aluminide and carbonfiber core
Water-resistance: 50m


RM 019

Case: 18-carat red or white gold
Dimensions: 45x38.30 mm
Movement: manual winding tourbillon movement with black onyx movement plate, finished with a ceramic endstone for the tourbillon cage, specially sculpted, Alcryn-collared crown
Functions: 48h power reserve
Water-resistance: 50m


RM 007 Titalyt

Case: titalyt
Dimensions: 45x31 mm
Movement: automatic winding movement with a rotor in titanium and tungsten carbide
Functions: hours, minutes, date
Water-resistance: 50m
Case-back: sapphire crystal


RM 023

Case: titanium also available in 18-carat red or white gold
Dimensions: 45x38.30 mm
Movement: skeletonized automatic winding movement
Functions: 50h power reserve, date, tourbillon with adjustable rotor geometry
Water-resistance: 50m


RM 025

Case: titanium fitted with 18-carat red gold lugs
Dimensions: 50.70x19.20 mm
Functions: chronograph, 50h power reserve, torque indicator, function indicator, carbon nanofibre baseplate
Water-resistance: 300m


RM 004-V2 ALL GRAY

Case: micro blasted titanium.
Dimensions: 48x39 mm
Movement: manual winding movement with carbon nanofibre movement plate. Functions: chronograph split seconds, 50h power reserve, torque indicator, function indicator.
Water-resistance: 50m.
Limited edition: 30 pieces

**For more information about Richard Mille Wristwatches.

Richard Mille-RM020 Tourbillon pocket watch

Richard Mille has revisited that golden age of timekeepers

Originally the pocket watch was the ultimate symbol of freedom and prestige, a personal timekeeper that released one from the constraints of the public clock tower or the standing clock in one’s home or office. It was the first timepiece that could be carried anywhere, and because of this portability horologists applied all their know-how in bringing it to the perfect realization of its mechanical essence.

 

RM020 Tourbillon pocket watch

Never prepared to just accept the past as it is, Richard Mille has revisited that Golden Age of timekeepers in order to bring a thoroughly modern and improved reinterpretation of a classic; a personal timekeeper that is ready to bring new impulses for today’s collectors — the RM 020 tourbillon pocket watch.

The RM 020 is the first pocket watch ever created to make use of a non-metallic baseplate made of carbon nanofiber, originally utilized in U.S. Air force jets. This is an isotropic composite material created from carbon nanofibers molded under a high pressure of 7,500 N/cm2and a temperature of 2,000˚C, resulting in a material with high mechanical, physical and chemical stability in all directions. It is ideally suited for guarantying the stability of the going train under varying conditions and temperatures.

The tourbillon escapement, (which was originally invented in the 19thcentury for the pocket watch format timepiece to begin with), is driven by a double winding barrel. Both barrels are directly coupled and supply circa 10 days of power reserve.

The RM 020 is further supplied with a titanium watch chain with a quick attach/release mechanism, and it can also be used as a pendulette de bureau with the additional desk stand. Perhaps the ultimate “time machine”, The RM 020 represents the perfect synthesis of the greatest 18thcentury horological values in combination with 21st century technology and aesthetics.

All versions will have a central caseband in titanium, with a choice of both front and back bezels in either 18ct red gold, white gold or titanium.

Richard Mille Tourbillon pocket watch RM 020

Technical specifications

Part of a series of new horological advances realized by Richard Mille was the successful creation of a non-metallic movement baseplate, the first in watchmaking history. The new material utilized was carbon nanofiber, and the innovation was first tested with great success in the RM 006, an experimental model. The technical results were remarkable and Richard Mille therefore decided to expand the use of carbon nanofiber further throughout his tourbillon range. Progress in this important area of horological research begun by Richard Mille has now opened up a new era of applying new materials in the watchmaking industry. The RM 020 furthers this development by being the first pocket watch ever built using a baseplate structure of carbon nanofiber. The RM 020 is supplied together with a special type of titanium watch chain comprising a new design of fast release/attach mechanism.

In the tradition of fine pocket watches of the past, the RM 020 can also be used as a pendulette de bureauwith a specially designed stand in complementary style.

Caliber RM 020:
Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, power reserve and function selector.

Dimensions : Length 62 mm x 52.00 mm (widest point) x 15.60 mm (thickest area)

Main features

(Many of which are major technical innovations)

Carbon nanofiber movement plate
This is an isotropic composite material created from carbon nanofibers molded under a high pressure of 7,500 N/cm2and a temperature of 2,000˚C, resulting in a material with high mechanical, physical and chemical stability in all directions. The ribbed perimeter of the movement plate assures the highest rigidity between the plate and bridges. Carbon nanofiber composite structures such as this are amorphous, chemically neutral and dimensionally constant within a very wide range of operating temperatures, including those outside of normal ranges. This stability assures the highest integrity of the movement’s going train under all conditions.

Power reserve: circa 10 days, supplied by two directly engaged winding barrels, visible via a numeric sale located between 9 and 10 o’clock.

Variable inertia, free sprung balance
The free-sprung balance with overcoil spring (originally designed for pocket watches in particular), gives better reliability in the event of shocks, movement assembly and disassembly, and also guarantees excellent chronometric results over an extended period of time.

Barrel pawl progressive recoil
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (circa 20 %), especially during the start of winding. It also aids in the even distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension.

Function selector
In a manner similar to a car’s gearbox, pulling the crown located at 12 o’clock allows one to select the winding, neutral and hand setting functions accordingly. A hand at 4 o’clock displays the selected function: W(Winding) – N(Neutral) – H(Hands).

Modular time setting mechanism fitted against the case back
Provides the following advantages for longevity and maintenance:

• Since the component is mounted outside of the movement, the time setting assembly can be changed without affecting the integrity of the bottom plate in the event of a possible defect or during maintenance
• The mounting and dismantling of this module from the back will not require the removal of the hands and the dial

Wheel based time setting system
Provides smooth time setting functions through the elimination of engaging friction by replacing it with rolling friction.

Zircon endstones for the tourbillon cage
This reflects a technical and long-term view towards the elimination of wear phenomena, resulting in improved technical tribology.

Central bridge in rigidified arcap
The ribs ensure better rigidity for the bottom plate/bridge assembly.

Spline screws in grade 5 Titanium for the bridges and case
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.

Winding barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion with central involute profile
The central involute profile of the winding barrel teeth and pinion provides an optimal pressure angle of 20°. This promotes effective rotary motion and allows for compensation of possible variations in the engagement of the going train, thus insuring excellent torque transmission with a distinct improvement in performance.

Case
Central caseband in titanium (all versions), with both front and back bezels in either 18ct red gold, white gold or titanium.

Other features

• Movement dimensions: 42.20 x 42.20 mm
• Thickness: 8.40 mm
• Tourbillon diameter: 12.30 mm
• Balance wheel diameter: 10 mm
• Number of jewels: 28
• Balance: GLUCYDUR, 2 arms, 20 setting screws, inertia moment 10 mg cm2, angle of lift 53º
• Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
• Balance spring: ELINVAR by NIVAROX
• Shock protection: KIF ELASTOR KE 160 B28
• Stone setting in white gold
• Barrel shaft in nickel-free chronifer (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: stainless- antimagnetic- suitable for tempering

Finishing

Movement

• Anglage and polishing by hand
• Locking sections hand polished
• Sapphire blasted milled sections
• Lapped and polished contact points
• Burnished pivots

Steel parts

• Sapphire blasted surfaces
• Anglage and polishing by hand

gear wheels

• Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
• Circular finished faces
• Gilded (before cutting the teeth)
• Minimum correction applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance 

 

RM020 Tourbillon pocket watch

RM 018 Tourbillon “Hommage à Boucheron”

Richard Mille creates the RM 018 tourbillon in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Boucheron’s founding

In celebration of Boucheron’s founding in 1858, the most daring jeweler of the Place Vendôme and Richard Mille have joined forces to create a unique timepiece, the RM 018 tourbillon wristwatch.

Richard Mille has a reputation of being a pioneer, having single-handedly reinvented watchmaking with the use of new materials and technologies for a new form of 21st century horology. This time, he was inspired by the 150th anniversary of Boucheron’s exceptional creativity.

The result: the RM 018 tourbillon wristwatch, an exceptional timepiece based on the search of ultimate perfection.

The RM 018, a concentration of the DNA of both brands

The RM 018 “Hommage à Boucheron” represents the extraordinary union between jewelry and watchmaking, combining the best of jewelry design with Richard Mille’s revolutionary know-how. This entire project was a new challenge for both. They did succeed and the result is a world premiere: a timepiece creation with the wheels of the movement made from semi-precious and precious stones. An astounding technological achievement that in reality simply exudes exquisite elegance and refinement to the eye of the beholder.

The production of this unique tourbillon wristwatch will be shared between both companies with the case and the movement by Richard Mille and the semi-precious and precious stones chosen by and embellished with Boucheron’s great expertise. Every watch will be unique, with different combinations of stones in each. Due to the time-consuming nature of the production, which requires much hand finishing and embellishment, the series will be limited to 30 pieces in 18ct white gold.

Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 018

“Hommage à Boucheron”

This Richard Mille tourbillon wristwatch was developed in conjunction with the artisans at Boucheron as a celebration of their 150th Anniversary and will be produced in a limited edition of 30 numbered watches in 18ct white gold.

Since their inception in 1858, the house of Boucheron has been creating masterpieces for exceptional clients of every caliber, and the past is dotted with masterpieces of historic jewelry from their workshops on 26, Place Vendôme, such as the legendary tiara for the wife of Tsar Nicholas II, and creations for the Shah of Iran and the Maharajah of Patiala. It was Richard Mille’s aim to create a wristwatch in homage to that history that would combine the exceptional talents of both companies; a literal synthesis of the jeweler’s tradition and 21st century horology. The result is a wristwatch unlike any other, the world premiere arrival of semi-precious and precious stones into the essence of watchmaking itself.

CALIBER RM 018: Manual winding tourbillon with power reserve, hours, minutes, seconds

Dimensions: Length 48 mm x 39.30 mm (widest point) x 13.84 mm (thickest area)

MAIN FEATURES

(Many of which are major technical innovations)

MOVEMENT WHEELS IN SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES

The RM 018 represents the first time that it has been possible to create a number of wheels inside the movement using semi-precious and precious stones such as tiger-eye, jasper, black onyx and diamonds. The technique behind their creation required a high level of mathematical modeling in order to control the process of manufacturing, taking more than three years of development and testing before a perfect result was to be found. The wheels, once constructed, are each given a sunray pattern profile, created entirely by hand, in the ateliers of Boucheron at 26, Place Vendôme Paris. In this way the RM 018 represents the ultimate example of what can be achieved by the transformation of ancient materials into horological impulses, using skills from the historic traditions of the jeweler’s craft to create a world premiere 21st century timepiece.

PLATES CREATED FROM SYNTHETIC SAPPHIRE

This represents the total elimination of the baseplate structure by the use of two full sized, transparent plates that act as bridges supporting the entire movement. The rhomboidal crystalline structure of synthetic sapphire crystal Al2 O3, in combination with its high melting point of 2,303 Kelvin and minimal thermal coefficient of linear expansion (6 x 10-6), make it exceptionally stable even under conditions far outside those of normal use. It also possesses an abrasion stability eight times higher that of steel.

WINDING BARREL AND COVER FROM SYNTHETIC SAPPHIRE

This not only allows a view of the watch’s internal structure: it also eliminates temperature discrepancies between the movement and winding barrel’s ambient temperature since both have the same temperature coefficient, thus providing additional stability to the movement.

TEETH OF BARREL AND THIRD WHEEL PINION WITH CORRECTED

INVOLUTE PROFILE

The corrected profiles of the teeth allows a double pressure angle of 10° and 20°, thus effectively promoting smooth movement and compensating possible variations of engagement. This ensures excellent torque transmission and a distinct improvement in performance.

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

* Movement dimensions: 30.20 x 28.60 mm
* Thickness: 8.70 mm
* Diameter of the tourbillon cage: 10.90 mm
* Diameter of the balance wheel: 10 mm
* Number of jewels: 24
* Balance wheel: GLUCYDUR, 2 arms.
* Moment of inertia: 10 mg cm2, lever angle 53°
* Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
* Power reserve: 48 hours
* Balance spring: ELINVAR by NIVAROX
* Shock protection: KIF ELASTOR KE 160 B28
* Stone settings in white gold
* Barrel shaft: in chronifer without nickel (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S), which has the following characteristics: non-oxidizable – antimagnetic – hardened.

FINISHING MOVEMENT

* Anglage and polishing by hand
* Locking sections hand polished
* Sapphire blasted milled sections
* Lapped and polished contact points
* Burnished pivots

STEEL PARTS

* Sapphire blasted surfaces
* Satin-finished surfaces
* Anglage and polishing by hand

WHEELS AND TEETH

(Applies to all metal as well as semi-precious, precious/metal wheel combinations)

* Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
* Circular finished faces
* Gilding (before cutting the teeth)
* Minimum manual correction to the wheels undertaken in order to preserve geometry and performance

CRYSTAL

Bezel side: In sapphire (1800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (2 sides).
Thickness: 1.20 mm
Case back: In sapphire with anti-glare treatment (2 sides)
Thickness: at the center 1 mm and outer edges 1.73 mm

DIAL

In sapphire (thickness: 0.40 mm) with anti-glare treatment, protected by 8 silicone braces inserted in the upper and lower grooves.

FLANGE (upper and lower)

In carbon fiber with index points filled with approved luminous material.

RM 028 (full review)

The new diver’s watch Richard Mille

 

Richard Mille automatic diver's watch RM 028

At the beginning of 2009, Richard Mille entered the world of the ocean depths with his premiere diver’s watch, the RM 025 tourbillion chronograph. This exceptional piece also marked the first entrance of a round case within the collection. Today the brand presents a new automatic diver’s watch, the RM 028, in a slightly smaller diameter of 47 mm.

Following the lines set out by the RM 025, the new RM 028 with its exceptional case and skeletonised movement possesses all the incontestable qualities that typify the watches of Richard Mille.

Following diver’s watch ISO norms 6425 with its water resistance of 300 meters (30 ATM) and a unidirectional bezel, the seemingly simple lines of the round case of the RM 028 conceal a considerable amount of technical know-how. The exceptional water resistance is achieved with a three part case construction and torque screws, with complete integration of the lugs into the case system.

Turning unidirectionally to prevent miscalculations whilst diving, the bezel is composed of three sections assembled with 22 torque screws, making it impossible to accidentally dislodge from the case.

The skeleonized automatic movement of the RM 028 utilizes a rotor with variable geometry, a major innovation of Richard Mile that allows the level of automatic winding to be adjusted to the user’s lifestyle via the setting of two 18ct white gold wings.

Like the RM 025, dedicated to the marine world of diving, the automatic RM 028 is in all ways an integral part of the collection, immediately identifiable as a typical creation of Richard Mille Watches.

Richard Mille automatic diver's watch RM 028

Skeletonized automatic movement with variable rotor geometry, hours, minutes, central seconds and date.
Dimensions: diameter 47.00 mm x 14.60 mm (thickest point).
Available in titanium with titanium lugs and rubber bracelet.

Richard Mille diver's watch RM 028

Technical specifications

Following the directions set out by the first diver’s watch created by Richard Mille, the RM 025, the RM 028 utilizes a number of key elements that demarcate the theme of diving within the collection.

Cased in a slightly smaller diameter of 47mm, this new creation has all the hallmarks of the uncompromising character that the watches created by Richard Mille possess.

Its exceptional tripartite case with unidirectional lunette and water resistance to 300 meters follows ISO diver’s watch norm 6425, creating a perfect environment to house the skeletonized movement with variable rotor geometry, a Richard Mille exclusive.

This new creation is available in titanium with screwed titanium lugs and a rubber strap.

Caliber RMAS7: skeletonized automatic winding movement with hours, minutes, central seconds, date and adjustable rotor geometry.

Dimensions: diameter 47.00 mm x 14.60 mm (thickest area).

Main features (Many of which are major technical innovations)

Rotor with variable geometry

* Arm in grade 2 titanium
* Flange in grade 2 titanium
* 6-positional adjustment via grade 5 titanium screws
* Ribs in 18-carat, high palladium content white gold
* Weight segment in tungsten/cobalt alloy
* Ceramic ball bearings
* Unidirectional anti-clockwise winding direction


This exclusive RICHARD MILLE design allows the rewinding of the mainspring to be adapted most effectively to the user’s activity level whether it be sporting or non-sporting environments.
By adjusting the setting of the rib’s placement, the rotor’s inertia is modified to either speed up the winding process in the case of leisurely arm movements, or slow it down when sporting activities are pursued. As a result, this invention allows the movement’s winding mechanism to be optimized and personalized to the owner’s lifestyle.

Power reserve

Circa 55 hours.

Warer resistance

The watch is water resistant to 30 atmospheres (300 meters) following ISO 6425 diver’s watch norms.
This is achieved with a unique, curved, tripartite case design using torque screws that can be individually and precisely tensioned with high accuracy around the exterior circumference of the case.
This is complemented by a screwed crown construction. The lugs of all versions are in titanium, with screws to attach the rubber diving strap for added security.

Bezel

Built up of three layers connected with 22 screws, turning unidirectionally following ISO 6425 norms to avoid timing miscalculations. The use of an additional screwed system attaching the bezel to the watchcase makes it absolutely stable as well as impossible to inadvertently dislocate or loosen.
In addition, the use of screws allow for perfect adjustment since the bezel is not tensioned into position. For clearer visibility under murky conditions, starting at 12 o’clock, the five-minute markers of the first quarter are highlighted red.

Bottom plate, bridges and balance cock made of titanium

The manufacture of these components in grade 2 titanium with black PVD coating allows the whole assembly to be given great rigidity, as well as precise surface flatness which is essential for the perfect functioning of the gear train.

Double barrel system

The double barrel system helps to improve the stability of torque over a longer period.
This is achieved by using more turns, thereby reducing pressure and friction on the teeth, the bearings and the pivots, resulting in improved long-term performance.

Date display

Semi-instantaneous, placed in a vertical aperture in the numeral 7. The calendar disc of sapphire crystal is treated with non-reflective coating on both sides.

Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case

This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.

Interior flange (upper and lower)
In carbon fiber, with index points filled with approved luminous material.

Dial

In sapphire (thickness: 0.40 mm) with anti-glare treatment (2 sides), protected by 8 silicon braces inserted in the upper and lower grooves.

Crystal

* Bezel side: in sapphire (1800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (2 sides).
* Thickness: 3.00 mm
* Case back: in sapphire with anti-glare treatment (2 sides)
* Thickness: at the center 1.90 mm and at outer edges 2.60 mm

Other features

* Dimensions of movement: 30.25 x 28.45 mm
* Thickness: 4.33 mm
* Number of jewels: 32
* Barrel arbor – in AP 20 steel
* Balance: GLUCYDUR, 3 arms, inertia moment 4.8 mg cm2, angle of lift 53º
* Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
* Balance spring: ELINVAR NIVAROX
* Shock protection: INCABLOC 908.22.211.100 (transparent)
* Escapement wheel jewels: Rubifix (transparent)
* Stem with three positions: manual winding, time setting, date adjustment

Finishing

Movement

* Bottom plate and bridges in hand-ground titanium, wet sandblasted, PVD treated
* Anglage and polishing by hand
* Locking sections hand polished
* Burnished pivots
* Diamond polished sinks on the bridge side
* Pinions with undercuts
* Sandblasted and rhodium-plated, beveled wheels

Steel parts

* Sapphire blasted surfaces
* Anglage and polishing by hand
* Screw slot and screws beveled and polished with rounded and polished tip

 

Richard Mille automatic diver's watch RM 028

**More information about RM 028.

RICHARD MILLE - To Sponsor Les Voiles de St-Barth

Richard Mille reinforces his presence on the seas by signing title sponsorship to the St. Barth’s new international sailing regatta, Les Voiles de Saint Barth.

The world’s most beautiful sailing yachts, ranging from classic sail boats to super yachts and multi-hull racers, will convene in St. Barthelemy for a week of competition and conviviality.

Each day, participants will compete on courses that surround this Caribbean island. This new regatta is totally in line with the long maritime tradition of St Barthelemy, where nautical events have always been popular.

Richard Mille’s sponsorship of Les Voiles de Saint Barth strengthens the brand presence in the nautical world that is already strong within the watch range. In 2009, Richard Mille introduced his first diver’s watch, the RM 025, an extremely technical tourbillon, water resistant to 300 meters with a carbon nanofiber base plate. One year on, he reveals his second diver’s watch, the RM 028 automatic, whose dimensions are slightly smaller than the RM 025 and which contains the rotor with adjustable geometry, a Richard Mille exclusivity. In 2006 and 2007, Richard Mille already introduced the RM 014 and RM 015 Tourbillon.

 

La "RM 028"

Entirely hand built and finished, in Swiss watch making tradition, Richard Mille watches claim an extremely technical and high performance conception, inspired by the main innovative sectors such as Aerospace, Formula One or competition yachts. These inspirations take concrete shape in the use – totally original in watch making - of high tech materials.

Richard Mille became title sponsor of several international events. After racetracks, the brand now conquers the seas with Les Voiles de Saint Barth, the new meeting for nautical competition enthusiasts.

RICHARD MILLE - Book "Technical and Human Beings"

Richard Mille’s latest book pays homage to the watchmakers, those artisans and artists of the infinitely small and the ultimately precise.



In his first book in 2006, Richard Mille unveiled a surprising world in which each individual component of his watches, every single mechanical element, is elevated to the sublime, like a work of art.

Richard Mille’s latest book, published by Cercle d’Art, pays homage to the watchmakers, those artisans and artists of the infinitely small and the ultimately precise; a tribute to the painstaking work of these professionals, who within an industrial framework still manage to dedicate their talent to the birth of a unique timepiece.

"Individus techniques, individus humains".

Since his first watch, the Caliber RM 001 was released, Richard Mille has continued to delve into ever-newer sources of inspiration, exploring inventive and innovative materials in his quest to create watches for the 21st Century. A singular creativity whose boundaries – continually stretched and pushed – are limited only to those of the men giving form to the Richard Mille dream...

For the creation of each new piece forces any watchmaker working for the brand to step back and question himself, re-evaluate and rethink all that he knows, on a daily basis.

New materials, plucked from environments ranging from aerospace to Formula 1, regularly find their way into the hands of watchmakers in this world of infinitesimal dimensions. The manufacturing process, the fashioning and finishing of each piece, is done entirely by hand, with each gesture of infinite precision repeated ceaselessly until absolute perfection is obtained. With every new piece, the learning process changes, a new method must be acquired, bringing new potential pitfalls and hazards resulting in a rate of discard of somewhere along the lines of 30 to 50%. With this parameter looming over watchmakers every day, such is the salary of fear, in a manner of speaking.

Having sublimated the components of the watch, in his first edition, the second opus seeks to focus on the artistry of the watchmakers who fabricate these tiny marvels, the ones who assemble them, polish and perfect them. The photographs by Guy Lucas de Peslouan set the stage, highlighting the work of these men, their surgical precision, their apprehension and anguish in the face of the difficulty of the task.

The text, written by the great philosopher Gilbert Hottois who specialises in the ethics of techno-science, equally pays tribute through its philosophical discourse to these men who take an inventor’s creativity and bring it to life. For in the house of Richard Mille more than anywhere else in the world, modernism and innovation are expressed not through the mechanics of machinery, but through the hands of man.

Release: March 2010 – To be presented at the Salon du Livre de Paris (Paris Book Expo) from 26 to 31 March 2010.
Available for retail sale at all major bookstores, in the Fine Arts section.
Published by Cercle d’Art. 100 €.

RICHARD MILLE - Presenting the new diver's watch Richard Mille RM 028

At the beginning of 2009, Richard Mille entered the world of the ocean depths with his premiere diver’s watch, the RM 025 tourbillion chronograph. This exceptional piece also marked the first entrance of a round case within the collection...

The "RM 028"

Today the brand presents a new automatic diver’s watch, the RM 028, in a slightly smaller diameter of 47 mm.

Following the lines set out by the RM 025, the new RM 028 with its exceptional case and skeletonized movement possesses all the incontestable qualities that typify the watches of Richard Mille.

Following diver’s watch ISO norms 6425 with its water resistance of 300 meters (30 ATM) and a unidirectional bezel, the seemingly simple lines of the round case of the RM 028 conceal a considerable amount of technical know-how. The exceptional water resistance is achieved with a three part case construction and torque screws, with complete integration of the lugs into the case system.

Turning unidirectionally to prevent miscalculations whilst diving, the bezel is composed of three sections assembled with 22 torque screws, making it impossible to accidentally dislodge from the case.

The skeleonized automatic movement of the RM 028 utilizes a rotor with variable geometry, a major innovation of Richard Mile that allows the level of automatic winding to be adjusted to the user’s lifestyle via the setting of two 18ct white gold wings.

Like the RM 025, dedicated to the marine world of diving, the automatic RM 028 is in all ways an integral part of the collection, immediately identifiable as a typical creation of Richard Mille Watches.

AUTOMATIC DIVER’S WATCH RM 028

Skeletonized automatic movement with variable rotor geometry, hours, minutes, central seconds and date.

Dimensions: diameter 47.00 mm x 14.60 mm (thickest point)

Available in titanium with titanium lugs and rubber bracelet.