After five years of research, Richard Mille has unveiled the RM 65-01 Automatic Split Seconds Chronograph.
It is the most complex timepiece to ever leave the Richard Mille workshop, the team set out in making a technical watch that encompasses all the avant-garde specifics that the house is known for.
Available in both Richard Mille’s proprietary layered Carbon TPT material and in a mix of red gold and Carbon TPT, the signature tonneau case of the RM 65-01 Automatic Split Seconds Chronograph measures in at a sizeable 44mm by 49.9mm.
The RM 65-01 uses color-coding to match functions that correspond with the pushers. Yellow is for time: hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, whereas green refers to the date display. Orange identifies the chronograph’s sweep seconds hand as well as the 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers. Red is linked to the winding mechanism, and the split-seconds hand is blue.
Based on the Vaucher VMF 6710, the RMAC4 inside the RM 65-01 is a high-frequency movement running at 36,000 beats per hour that has an integrated split-seconds chronograph, making it one of the most sophisticated movements in Richard Mille’s collection, and certainly the most impressive calibre that isn’t a tourbillon or grande complication.
In another milestone, Richard Mille developed its first in-house patented rapid-winding mechanism, activated by a pusher at 8 o’clock. In 125 presses, the barrel is fully wound, ready to time your next event. This highly practical function, described as ‘very playful’ by Richard Mille’s engineers, was particularly difficult to develop because of its high levels of torque transfer. During the ageing tests, the function was activated thousands of times.
The model was also enhanced with a new gearbox, taking the form of a function selector housed in the crown. This system makes it possible to switch between ‘traditional’ winding (W), semi-instantaneous date adjustment (D) or setting the time (H), all done simply by pressing the crown.
Available in Carbon TPT®, Gold and Carbon TPT®, the RM 65-01 has over 600 components, further evidence of the immense technical expertise of the development teams. Embracing the brand’s ancestral codes whilst affirming its own identity, the RM 65-01 is set to take its place in the gallery of illustrious Richard Mille models with technicity at its heart.
