It may be true that Richard Mille’s reputation was built on the brand’s tourbillon models, but the RM 011 chronograph is what made it successful. Tourbillons are extremely expensive and take a very long time to produce, even more so nowadays. The chronograph proved easier to distribute on a larger scale, offering greater diversity as well as consistency for the movement. The calibre in question, known as the RMAC1, was supplied by Vaucher Manufacture (one of Richard Mille’s two partners) without any major changes throughout its lifetime.
COORDINATION
The RM 011 is however more than just a way into the brand at a time when it was still more or less affordable (and before millionaire shopping mania all over the world scooped them all up). It’s a foundational model in terms of the Richard Mille look and its approach to developing and wearing watches. It needs to be borne in mind that in the early days, the Richard Mille brand was inextricably linked to the world of motor racing, its one and only reference, and that Mr Mille, an automobile enthusiast and racing fan, spent all his time on race tracks with the drivers, who were his friends. The RM 011 was developed with (and practically for) Felipe Massa, with the result that it really is a driver’s watch: a chronograph, very sturdy, and easy-to-read; and like a Formula One, able to be tweaked and adjusted in several ways.
ENGINE BLOCK
This watch is first and foremost an engine. The RMAC1 is an integrated calibre produced by Vaucher Manufacture, a movement maker (aptly known in French as a motoriste) that’s been supplying Richard Mille’s ‘simple’ calibres for some 20 years — simple here meaning that they don’t have a tourbillon. The movement is exclusive to the brand, its appearance even more so: black, skeletonised, and overwhelmingly technical in terms of both language and finishes. It features three counters and a variable-iertia rotor, the blades of which can be adjusted to the pace of the wearer’s activity, like a Formula One aerofoil. It’s barrel-shaped so as to fit into Richard Mille’s signature case. And of course, it’s flyback, as indicated by the engraving on the reset pusher. Another refinement that cements the car metaphor is that the RMAC1 calibre’s bridges are machined from titanium. It’s a light, rigid movement and as a bonus offers an unsuspected function that has nothing to do with cars: behind its large date window lies an annual calendar mechanism that automatically alternates between 30 and 31-day months. A discreet 12-numeral disc indicates the current month at 5 o’clock.
BODYWORK
Like all RMs, the 011 doesn’t have a dial. At the very most, information needed to read the date, time and chronograph functions is located on an openwork structure that’s kept as small as possible. The rest is traced on the underside of the sapphire crystal. The appearance is machine-like, technical and extreme: the language of F1. Further evidence of this is the tachymeter flange, graduated up to 700 km/h! The hands are in the same vein, in contrasting colours to help you spot them amid this jungle of shapes and depths. The first RM 011s were produced in Richard Mille’s favourite material at the time, satin-finish titanium. Later, NTPT carbon was first used on this timepiece, followed by TPT Quartz versions as well as rose and white gold and ceramics, separately or in varying combinations. Every material used by the brand has found a place on the RM 011. It’s also been linked to a number of racing drivers with whom Richard Mille has had a contract (including Romain Grosjean), racing events (such as the Le Mans Classic) and teams (Lotus F1 among others). With its modular case and chronograph status, the RM 011 is the perfect vehicle for all this.
MONOCOQUE
Once again, it becomes clear that the chronograph complication can fit in with any style. That’s where the RM 011 proves itself to be a perfect extension of the Richard Mille ethos, as does the timepiece embodying its second generation, the RM 11-03. The brand focuses on different versions and colour schemes with a high degree of technical expertise, borrowed from motor racing, to produce timepieces for racing drivers, worn in actual conditions for test purposes — but at the end of the day, designed for the pure enjoyment of the brand’s founder. The RM 011 embodies all of Richard Mille’s racing spirit, with both the man and the brand summed up in an enduring collection.
Richard Mille RM 011-FM
CASE: barrel-shaped, satin-finish titanium, sapphire crystal, water resistant to 100m
DIMENSIONS: 50 x 40mm; 16.15mm thick
MOVEMENT: titanium, mechanical, variable inertia rotor self-winding mechanism, RMAC1 calibre, 4Hz, 50-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS: hours, minutes, small seconds display, chronograph with two pushers and two counters, annual calendar with large date and month displays
DIAL: skeletonised
STRAP: openwork black rubber, titanium butterfly clasp
LAUNCH YEAR: 2007
This year GMT Magazine and WorldTempus have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the chronograph since the year 2000 in The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book - Chronographs is available in both French and English here.
