Richard Mille is a brand that I have always deeply appreciated from a technical standpoint. I also enjoy the extreme amounts of research and development that go into making these watches suitable for the brands’ testimonials to wear while they punish them on the tennis court, at the track, and in the racecar.
But what I had not yet experienced is what it actually feels like to wear one of these pieces of ingenious engineering. Would the size be uncomfortable? Would the case scratch easily? When the RM 011 finally showed up at my door I eagerly strapped it to my wrist; I could hardly wait to put this ode to Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa on.
Quest for lightness
The RM 011, in fact, is the watch that kicked off Mille’s quest for lightness back in 2007. Mille, a racecar enthusiast, made it a point to create a watch for Massa that not only quelled his desired for an aesthetic, masculine timepiece, but also shaved grams off his car’s total weight. In Formula 1 racing, this is an important aspect and is probably one of the key reasons drivers haven’t worn watches while racing up to now. (Others are perhaps the idea of the wrist being hindered or attention distracted.)
Even though the carefully machined titanium case of the RM 011 is rather thick at 16.15 mm (the highly noticeable tonneau-shaped case is 50 x 40 in diameter) – and, mind you, this thickness is wanted, not a side effect: the automatic movement is svelte, the case was made to be visible – I can tell you that even on my miniscule wrist this was not a detraction. In fact, I rarely noticed that I was wearing a watch until I needed to know the time or someone in the halls of Baselworld stopped me to have a look – which happened often. While I may not have noticed my watch, others most certainly did. All the time. But I digress. Back in 2005 or so, this titanium case was the subject of one full year of R&D at Richard Mille. Titanium was newish and a case requiring 68 different stamping and 202 separate machining operations also required 18 days’ worth of CNC machine programming. Just digest those numbers for a moment. When you’re done digesting it, you will understand why the case is so spectacular in its ergonomics and why it will perfectly sit on any wrist, even my “baby” wrist. The spline screws used to bolt it together add to the machine-like look, even under the dial where they are used to keep the movement in place (rather than the typical movement holder ring, which would destroy the skeletonized, tonneau-shaped visuals).
Racing machine on the wrist
When this watch came out, Richard Mille’s tagline was “a racing machine on the wrist” – and every time I looked at this watch perched so fetchingly on my arm, I couldn’t help but think of it. The aesthetics suggest speed, enabled by red and yellow details such as the (annual calendar) date window frame and the tips of the flyback chronograph’s hands. These colors also suggest Ferrari, logical as Massa is a Ferrari driver. The deep skeletonized dial might appear busy at first glance, but it decidedly is not, and reading the time was a breeze, thanks in part to the Super-LumiNova-tipped hour and minute hands and reference marker dots. The spacious, flat chronograph pushers also suggesting automotive design are very comfortable to use while they simultaneously protect the crown.
The large crown itself is a dream in terms of handling. It is not a screw-in (which means less water-resistance, but in my opinion greatly increases comfort) and it is very easy to grip and manipulate due to its size and the rubber inlay encircling it. Its 50 meters’ water-resistance ensured by three Nitril O-ring seals and an Alcryn collar is sufficient for any activity save diving.
The automatic movement’s power reserve is listed at between 40 and 55 hours. The reason for this relatively large margin is the rotor’s variable geometry, a function exclusive to Richard Mille’s timepieces. Positioning it properly allows the winding of the mainspring to be effectively adapted to the user’s activity level. Though I had not had it adjusted specifically to me (perhaps Richard Mille did before it was sent it to me?), I can report that after putting the watch down on Friday night for the weekend, it was still running on Monday morning, which put the power reserve in the high 50-hour range for me.
Upping your game
The movement’s finishing is very visible through the sapphire crystal coated with anti-glare treatment on both sides. The titanium base plate and bridges are sandblasted and PVD-treated for a mechanical look, and there is no shortage of fine finishing in the rest of the movement either, including hand-beveling and –polishing, polished sinks, and all kinds of bead-blasted surfaces.
Now let’s talk about that racing machine factor. Strapping the RM 011 to my wrist felt much like getting on a motorcycle for the first time: you hum, you vibrate, and everything comes to life even though the trigger is “just” a machine. It is an indescribable feeling. And now I get it, I really do: that indefinable feeling of cool, of belonging to an exclusive club that only a select few know about. The confidence factor sees you upping your game.
Which I’m sure the Lotus Formula 1 team is about to learn as it is now sponsored by Richard Mille. Lucky guys!
