[2021 Edition] Mechanical Watches "Richard Mille's 8 Popular and Recommended Models"

The state of emergency continues, how are you all doing?

Please continue to take care of your health.

Well, in this column, I would like to take a look at "Richard Mille" . As for the content, I will select 8 models, including current models and discontinued popular models.

History and Background

"Richard Mille" is a Swiss luxury watch brand, an emerging watch brand founded in 2001 by Frenchman Richard Mille (born in 1951), who has been involved in several luxury brands including Mauboussin. As many of you may know, Richard Mille himself only provides overall supervision and does not actually make the watches.

Other brands use cutting-edge materials only for certain parts such as the case, but Richard Mille uses them generously for the internal parts as well, focusing on the highest quality such as low load, light weight, and durability. The number of watches produced is limited not to increase rarity value, but because of the company's commitment to watchmaking, and it is no exaggeration to say that Richard Mille 's competitive advantage is supported by technology that other brands cannot imitate.

In fact, the brand finds excellent parts suppliers and outsources the parts and movements necessary to make a watch. In recent years, there has been a trend for companies to manufacture movements and cases in-house, but I think that their flexible attitude of accepting suppliers with excellent technology because they seek the ultimate is what sets them apart from other brands. They also established their own parts workshop in 2013, but this is also clear from the fact that the company itself publicly states that it does not need to manufacture everything in-house.

Nowadays, being able to "integrate manufacturing" in-house has become an added value and brand strategy, but watches with in-house movements are generally positioned as high-end compared to models that do not. However, Richard Mille is going against this trend. Rather than general marketing, the brand 's uniqueness and image is shaped by its sincere attitude of working hard to create watches that are called extreme watches, an ideal concept. This image strategy is also embodied in the fact that athletes such as track and field and tennis players, as well as racing drivers, are ambassadors, and these top players wear watches that bear their names.

So, let's start by introducing some popular and recommended models from Richard Mille .

Recommended Model ① RM055 [Bubba Watson]

Bubba Watson is known as the "long hitter" for his impressive average driver distance of 315.2 yards, despite being 191cm tall. This "RM055" is a hand-wound model that inherits the design of the "RM038" that he wore when he defeated Louis Oosthuizen in the 2012 Masters (major tournament) and won his first championship in a playoff. The bezel is made of a new material, ATZ ceramics, made from aluminum oxide powder tubes injected at a high pressure of 2000 bar, and the middle-back titanium case is finished in white rubber. Currently, on the overseas site Chrono24, it is selling for an astonishing premium price of 35,000,000 yen, about three times the list price.

Reference price (initially on sale): 12,960,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model ② RM38-01 [Bubba Watson]

The RM38-01 is a model inspired by the watch worn by Bubba Watson, who won his second green jacket at the 2014 Masters, beating out rising star Jordan Spieth and others. This hand-wound tourbillon, limited to 50 pieces worldwide, is equipped with a G-force sensor at the 12 o'clock position that measures up to 20G of gravitational acceleration (G) generated during a golf swing, and has a power reserve of 42 hours. It is made of a lightweight and sturdy material called TZP-G green ceramic, and is available in a green ceramic case and a white rubber-coated titanium x quartz TPT® case. The golf ball design of the crown is also casually stylish. All that aside, the price is mind-blowing (lol).

[Source] Richard Mille

Reference price (initially on sale): 101,200,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model 3: RM35-02 [Rafael Nadal]

This is the Rafael Nadal model, announced in the summer of 2016, featuring the first automatic caliber with a beautiful contrast of vivid red and white. The case back has been changed to a see-through specification due to the minor change from manual winding to automatic winding. The new material Quartz TPT® is used, and the case, which is made of multiple layers of quartz fiber, has passed impact tests of over 5000G. The caliber is made of titanium material and is equipped with a variable moment of inertia rotor that adjusts the winding efficiency for stable operation. It weighs only about 72g. In addition, it has a 55-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 50m, making it a highly practical model that can withstand the hard sport of tennis.

Reference price (initially on sale): 16,280,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model 4: RM11-03 [McLaren]

This is a partnership model between McLaren and Richard Mille , announced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. This model is made by weaving together Orange Quartz TPT® and Carbon TPT®, which is highly resistant and lightweight, and features the orange color that is synonymous with McLaren. The titanium pushers are the same shape as the headlights of the McLaren 720S, the titanium crown is the same shape as the McLaren wheel, and the titanium parts embedded in the bezel are the same shape as the air intake of the McLaren F1. It is equipped with the latest automatic movement Cal.RMAC3, which is equipped with an annual calendar, oversized date display, flyback chronograph and countdown timer complex mechanism. This model is limited to 500 pieces worldwide and was sold preferentially to customers who purchased McLaren's Ultimate Series.

Reference price (initially on sale): 23,004,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model ⑤ RM11-03 [Jean Todt]

Jean Todt, president of the FIA ​​and a member of the Richard Mille family. Richard Mille and Jean Todt have been friends for many years, and they seem to be important partners who recognize each other's passion and curiosity for products and are bound by a deep bond. This is a 2017 model that commemorates the 50th anniversary of his career, and is inspired by the history of racing cars and car racing. Pressing the push button halfway between 4 and 5 o'clock allows the chronograph to be reset without stopping the mechanism. This mechanism was developed so that pilots can stop, reset, and start the chronograph accurately without loss during flight. In addition, the watch is equipped with an annual calendar, and if you adjust the calendar only once a year on March 1st, it has a mechanism that determines the 30th and 31st of each month and sends the date, and the month is displayed in a small window between 4 and 5 o'clock. The blue and white quartz TPT case, bearing Jean Todt's name and his favorite colors, is lightweight and extremely durable, making this a rare model limited to just 150 pieces worldwide.

[Source] Richard Mille

Reference price (initially on sale): 21,450,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model ⑥ RM011 [Felipe Massa]

Felipe Massa's DLC model was announced at the SIHH in 2011. It is designed to withstand vibrations and shocks under harsh conditions. The RM011FM is one of the largest cases (50 x 40 mm) in Richard Mille's collection, and is one of the popular collections that combines an overwhelming presence with outstanding wearability. As the model name indicates, this is the model worn by Felipe Massa, a Ferrari F1 driver and Richard Mille ambassador, during races. Two new RM011 models were announced at the SIHH collection in 2011, and this one is a model with a DLC coating on a titanium case. It has a strong black case and red indexes, and the color scheme is very cool. There are other color variations for the Felipe Massa model, but I personally like this color the best.

[Source] Richard Mille

Reference price (initially on sale): 9,030,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model ⑦ RM67-01 [Automatic Extra Flat]

This is the RM67-01, the first thin tonneau case watch from Richard Mille, released in 2016. It is the first extra-flat model to be used in a tonneau case, and the in-house developed caliber CRMA6 is only 3.6mm thick, and the case itself is 7.75mm thick, making it an extremely thin and lightweight case. Despite the ultra-thin movement, it is skeletonized to give a sense of depth, and is a culmination of Richard Mille 's philosophy and technology. My favorite movie actor, John Malkovich, also wears it. Looking at the official website, it has a leather strap, and I feel that it is a model that can be used in a different way among the sporty impressions of Richard Mille , so I recommend it.

[Source] Richard Mille

Reference price (initially on sale): 12,650,000 yen (tax included)

Recommended Model 8: RM030 [Automatic Declutchable Rotor Japan Limited]

The "RM030" is a model that was released in Japan in 2011 with a limited number of 15 pieces, and is popular worldwide for its chic color scheme. Due to its rarity, it sold out immediately. Compared to the sporty existing models, it is unified in black and white, giving it a cool impression. It adopts specifications that are usually only used in tourbillon models (white inner bezel, Arabic index), which greatly improves visibility. The case is the first of this model to be made of carbon nanotube composite (composite material), and the black-based monotone creates a mature charm. The special mechanism installed is a patented declutchable rotor (simply put, a function that does not overwind), which is an excellent function that automatically reduces the burden on the internal parts. It is also equipped with a variable moment of inertia rotor that ensures optimal winding efficiency according to your lifestyle.

Reference price (initially on sale): 12,075,000 yen (tax included)

summary

What did you think.

Starting with the colorful pompom collection released in 2019, Richard Mille has recently begun to actively promote its products not only to men but also to women.

Also, on February 23, 2021, the same time this column was written, Richard Mille announced a new multi-year partnership with Ferrari, an F1 team. We would like to keep an eye on the brand's future developments.

At our store, Commit Ginza, we are strengthening our lending and sales of Richard Mille products , so if you are considering selling, please feel free to contact us.