At Richard Mille, there are certain models that find their sweet spot in extreme understatement, focalising all the technicity of contemporary haute horlogerie into an architecture stripped down to absolute mechanical necessity. The new RM 55-01 Manual Winding fully ascribes to this approach, projecting a resolutely airy structure where each component is perfectly situated according to its function. ‘Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.’ The RM 55-01 Manual Winding fully illustrates this dictum from pilot and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
With its new ultralight Calibre RMUL4, the RM 55-01 takes a fundamental of the brand to new realms with sublime skeletonisation. Weighing less than 5 grams, this movement is carefully designed to elegantly fit within a case of conservative dimensions (37.95 x 10.75 x 47.33 mm), while optimising both wrist comfort and visual balance.
Furthermore, the choice of a manual winding system fulfils this clear desire for a lighter build. Without obstruction from an oscillating weight, light flows freely through the movement.
The calibre rests on a baseplate made of grade 5 titanium, an alloy borrowed from the aerospace industry and highly prized at Richard Mille. To enhance its aesthetics, the baseplate is microblasted, sanded and treated with a black PVD coating. The going train is affixed by three bridges also produced from grade 5 titanium sanded and treated with Titalyt®.
Nonetheless, working this material remains a constant challenge. Milling grade 5 titanium is a herculean task: its extreme hardness and the brand’s low tolerance for error take a toll on every tool. The same uncompromising standards hold for the slightly thicker satin-brushed parts that structure the movement and highlight a tension between straight lines and curves.
At the heart of the mechanism sits a double-barrelled system that optimises torque over time. Thanks to its faster rotation rate, the teeth, pins and bearings are subjected to less pressure thus reducing friction. The result is smoother, more regular energy transfer throughout the approximately 55 hours of power reserve. Energy is transferred to a free-sprung balance with variable inertia beating at 4 Hz, equipped with a stop- seconds mechanism. The traditional regulator (index) is replaced by four small, adjustable weights for more precise and consistent adjustment. Less vulnerable to shock, calibration adjusts the balance wheel’s inertia rather than hairspring length.
Three versions of the RM 55-01 Manual Winding are available: Carbon TPT®, White Quartz TPT® and Grey Quartz TPT®. These technical composites, used for the bezels, offer excellent shock and scratch resistance while reducing the overall weight of the watch. The materials’ unfinished damascene effect harmonises with the taut, clean lines of the three-part tonneau case. The calibre is securely anchored by four spline screws in microblasted titanium, framed with satin-finished pillars and polished bezels. The microblasted and rhodium-plated hands glide above a complex four-part flange that weaves together titanium, carbon fibre, and steel in a play of texture and relief.
On the wrist, the RM 55-01 Manual Winding exudes subtle understatement, but reveals captivating mechanical presence close up. Suspended between silence and tension, the watch embodies an inner odyssey, that of time laid bare. Never empty, space becomes the very place where time is born, immune to gravity.
