RM 035 Rafael Nadal, Chronofible® certified

8 minutes read
After having won in 2010 the trio of masters tournaments that are Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows at the wrist of Rafael Nadal, Richard Mille has now developed the RM 035, a by-product with a movement weighing just 4,3 grams.

Press release

 

The manual winding, skeletonized caliber RMUL1 beating at the heart of the RM 035 represents the first manual winding movement in the Richard Mille collection to have Chronofiable® certification.

 

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The Chronofiable® test, developed at the beginning of the 80's by the CCF SA (centre de contrôle de la fiabilité de l'horlogerie Suisse, taken over in 1985 by the Laboratoire Dubois SA), was devised to expose timepieces to an accelerated ageing test simulating over 21 days, the equivalent of 6 months effective wear. This is achieved by the execution of a long series of tests such as the initial monitoring of the movement functions, an additional rate, the amplitude test taken at two temperature levels (0°C and 50°C), the monitoring of the power reserve and the winding velocity. Included in this artificial ageing cycle test are extensive linear and angular accelerations as well as some 20,000 shocks ranging from 250 to 5500 m/s2(9.81 m/s2= 1g). The last step is a final monitoring phase applying the same elements than during the initial monitoring.

Conditions like these attest unequivocally to the ability of the RMUL1 caliber to withstand an array of extreme conditions without experiencing any effects on its performance.

The skeletonization process of the RM 035 movement, which weighs in at a mere 4.3 grams, took one year to finalize, as there could be no compromise in the movement's strength or ability to withstand shocks under the rigors of Chronofiable® certification. This meant much attention was given to testing numerous versions of the skeletonized titanium baseplates before the final form of skeletonization was chosen. The PVD treated, skeletonized titanium baseplate, with combined bridges and balance-cock of titanium Titalyt®, insures excellent rigidity and accurate surface flatness. The caliber RMUL1, with 24 jewels and beating at 4Hz, has a free sprung balance with variable inertia. This type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation. It guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shock and also during movement assembly and disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time.The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable adjustment is possible thanks to 4 small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

Everything has been constructed according to an extremely rigorous specification, in the manner of the analytical engineering methods used in the design of Formula 1 racing cars where the chassis and the engine are developed in complete harmony. For example, a casing ring is no longer used and the movement is mounted on chassis mounting rubbers (ISO SW) fixed by 4 titanium screws. This shows the emphasize placed on no compromising regarding the high level of quality.

 

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The RM 035 case is made of an extremely rugged and light alloy called magnesium-aluminium. This alloy is composed of 90% magnesium and 8.9% aluminium. Magnesium has a density of 1,74 g/cm3, which means it is one of the lightest metals used for construction.

After a long and delicate machining phase, this alloy is given an electro-plasma oxidation treatment. The resultant coating is a cristalline oxide ceramic with a high ratio of high resistant composites such as MgAl2O4spinels. The blackish color is due to light-resistant spinels that are chemically inert, that is to say magnesium oxides and aluminium oxides with a particular structure. This improves both hardness and scratch resistance in this alloy as well as its wear and corrosion properties. This treatment applied to magnesium-aluminium is biocompatible and is applied in aerospace, automotive industries and the medical sector.

The case of the RM 035 is water-resistant to 50 meters, ensured by two Nitril O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion resistant washers in 316L stainless steel. The RM 035 is the first Richard Mille watch Chronofiable®certified, which represents a new milestone in the conquest for long lasting performance in extreme conditions.

Chronofiable® is a registered trademark belonging to the Laboratoire Dubois SA.


Technical specifications of the Richard Mille RM 035 Rafael Nadal Chronofiable® certified

Tonneau case - available in magnesium-aluminium alloy.

Caliber RMUL1: skeletonized manual winding movement with hours, minutes, seconds.
Dimensions:48 mm x 39.70 mm x 12,25 mm.
Weight of the movement:4,3 g.


Main features (many of which are major technical innovations)

Power reserve: Circa 55 hours.

Watch Chronofiable® certified:
The Chronofiable® test was developed at the beginning of 80's by the CCF SA (centre de contrôle de la fiabilité de l'horlogerie Suisse taken over in 1985 by the Laboratoire Dubois SA), in order to simulate accelerated aging of watches. This simulates normal wearing conditions with an accelerated intensity factor of about 8 by reproducing, over 21 days (the equivalent of 6 months effective wear).
These tests include:  
- initial monitoring of the movement functions and an additional rate and amplitude test, at two temperature levels (0°C and 50°C); monitoring of the power reserve and the winding velocity.
- numerous tests of the stem.
- ageing cycles consisting of linear and angular accelerations; 20,000 shocks ranging from 250 to 5500  m/s2(9.81 m/s2= 1g) as well as changes in temperature and humidity during these cycles.
- tests with magnetic fields.
- final monitoring with same elements than during the initial monitoring.
The RM 035 Rafael Nadal Chronofiable®certified, confirms the ability of the RMUL1 caliber to withstand many extreme conditions without experiencing any effects on its performance. These tests confirmed that the caliber RMUL1 was able to withstand shocks according to the norm ISO 1413. 

Free sprung balance with variable inertia:
This type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation. It guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shock and also during movement assembly and disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time.
The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable adjustment is possible thanks to 4 small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

Crown: Titane grade 5 and treatment DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) with collar in Alcryn.

Double barrel system:
The double barrel system helps improve torque stability over a longer period. This is achieved by utilizing more turns of the barrel, thereby reducing pressure and wear on the teeth, bearings and pivots.

Bottom plate, bridges and balance cock made of titanium:
The manufacturing of these components in grade 5 titanium, with black PVD coating for the baseplate and Titalyt® for the bridges, 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. The skeletonized baseplate was subjected to separate and extensive validation tests to insure optimal strength requirements.

Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges:
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.

 
Other features
 
Dimensions of movement: 30.25 x 28.45 mm
Thickness: 3.15 mm
Number of jewels: 24
Barrel arbor – in 20AP steel
Balance: Glucydur, 4 arms, inertia moment 4.8 mg.cm2, angle of lift 53º
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Balance spring: Elinvar
Shock protection: Incabloc 908.22.211.100 (transparent)
Escapement wheel jewels: Rubifix (transparent)
Stem with two positions: manual winding and time setting

Case:
The RM 035 case is made of an extremely rugged and light alloy called magnesium-aluminium. This alloy is composed of magnesium 90% and aluminium 8.9%. Magnesium has a density is of 1,74 g/cm3, which means it is one of the lightest metals used for construction. After a long and delicate machining phase, this alloy is given an electro-plasma oxidation treatment. This resultant coating is a cristalline oxide ceramic with a high ratio of high resistant composites such as MgAl2O4spinels. The blackish color is due to light-resistant spinels which are chemically inert, that is to say magnesium oxides and aluminium oxides with particular structure. This improves both hardness and scratch resistance of this alloy, and also its wear and corrosion resistance. This treatment applied to magnesium-aluminium is biocompatible and used in aerospace, automotive industries and in the medical sector. The case of the RM 035 is water-resistant to 50 meters, ensured by two Nitril O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.

Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the case:
Due their design, these screws offer better control of the torque applied during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.

Interior flange: Upper flange in black carbon fiber, the hours index points filled with approved luminous material. Minute flange in black carbon fiber.

Crystal:
Bezel side: In sapphire (1800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
Thickness: 1.20 mm

Strap: Polyurethane bracelet with matching buckle of magnesium-aluminium alloy.


Finishing
 
Movement:
- Bottom plate wet sandblasted grade 5 titanium, PVD treated and hand-drawn after treatment
- Bridges in hand-ground grade 5 titanium, wet sandblasted and Titalyt®treated
- Locking sections hand polished
- Burnished pivots
- Pinions with undercuts
- Sandblasted and rhodium-plating, beveled wheels (before cutting the teeth)
- Minimum corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance

Steel parts:
- Screw slot and screws beveled and polished with rounded and polished tip
- Straight line grain finish of the upper surfaces
- Lower surfaces microblasted
- Sink hand-polished

Glace:
Côté lunette : en saphir (dureté 1800 Vickers) traité antireflet (des 2 côtés)
Epaisseur : 1,20 mm

Bracelet: Bracelet polyuréthane avec boucle ardillon en alliage magnésium-aluminium.


Finitions
 
Mouvement:
- Platine en titane grade 5 sablé humide, traité PVD et étirée sus après traitement
- Ponts en titane grade 5, sablés humide et traités Titalyt®
- Blocages polis à la main
- Pivots brunis
- Pignons avec piqûres
- Roues biseautées, sablées et rhodiées (avant taillage de la denture)
- Les corrections sont minimales afin de préserver la géométrie des roues et leur performance

Pièces en acier:
- Vis et fentes biseautées et polies, pointes arrondies et polies
- Surfaces sus étirées à la main
- Surfaces sous microbillées
- Découvertes polies à la main

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