Story by Ian Thorley
Richard Mille has long been the leading proponent of avant-garde watchmaking, with the brand making waves in cutting edge technology since its very inception. A relatively young watchmaker, Richard Mille first launched his ‘racing machine on the wrist’ to a sceptical trade at the Basel Fair back in 2001.
Innovation and savoir-faire have consistently been at the heart of the Richard Mille core message. He launched their first tourbillon in 2004, the RM 006 Felipe Massa Tourbillon which weighed an incredible 48 grams, followed in 2007 by a 20 gram Rafael Nadal RM 027.
This spirit of innovation continued to the RM 59-01 Tourbillon Yohan Blake which dazzled in the colours of the Jamaican flag. By 2019 the Bonbon collection had arrived, 10 self-winding models in 60 bubblegum pop colours, all inspired by sweets and deserts. Two years ago we saw the pastel tinted RM 07-01, the Summer inspired colourways were inspired by the architecture in downtown Miami.
Now, the maker has released three different versions of a new watch, a tourbillon entirely composed of sapphire crystal glass. Sapphire crystal, is notoriously hard to work with because it’s incredibly difficult to manufacture under lab conditions while also prone to breakages while it’s’ being shaped. However it’s prized by watchmakers because its firstly incredibly comfortable to wear on the wrist and secondly its scratch and impact resistant (after diamonds, its one of the earth’s hardest wearing materials).
To create one watch requires several dozen kilos of sapphire crystal as it needs to be flawless and free of bubbles and streaking. It then takes over 1000 hours of polishing and shaping, including 40 hours of grinding to create one of three part Richard Mille’s cases.
The new movement for the RM 75-01 has been created specifically for the new case and the skeletonised movement features a flying tourbillon and flying barrel, the crystal glass allowing the wearer to enjoy the intricate movement from every angle. Touches of SuperLuminova allow the wearer to see the time in the dark.
The mechanics of the watch are also innovative, the baseplate is titanium based, described by the brand as ‘metallic lacework’ and holds in place the tourbillon, movement wheels and barrel, while the absence of upper bridges is what makes them ‘flying’.
The RM 75-01 follows the Richard traditions of cutting edge technology and innovation while additionally creating a timepiece that’s visually stunning. We can almost certainly expect to see new versions of this incredible watch in the future in an array of alternative colour ways.
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