STYLE Edit: Richard Mille launches the limited-edition RM 47 Tourbillon, a handcrafted timepiece honouring Japanese culture

Apr 22 , 2022

The Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon pays tribute to the sources of Japanese crafting tradition in relation to bushido. Photos: Richard Mille

The brand created the watch over four years following a conversation with Formula One legend Fernando Alonso, who was behind 2020’s RM 67-02 Fernando Alonso

The RM 47 Tourbillon’s samurai armour was entirely handcrafted by engraver Pierre-Alain Lozeron and painter Valérie Lozeron, nodding to the Japanese bushido code

Two things that will always turn heads: a magnificent samurai warrior in full traditional armour, and the dazzling dial of a Richard Mille watch. Now those two things have come together to form the newly launched RM 47 Tourbillon, a masterpiece of intricate craftsmanship and a paean to the values of the bushido code.

Fernando Alonso for Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillion. Photo: Mathieu Cesar

The watch was created as a result of a conversation brand founder Richard Mille had with one of the brand’s key partners, Formula One legend Fernando Alonso, who inspired one of Richard Mille’s most coveted creations, 2020’s RM 67-02 Fernando Alonso, and who is also a passionate enthusiast for traditional Japanese arts. A painstaking labour of love that took nearly four years of design work to develop, it is produced in a limited edition of just 75 pieces.

The meticulously created dial of the Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon, featuring samurai sword details.

Its breathtaking dial is the result of meticulous work by the husband and wife team of engraver Pierre-Alain Lozeron and painter Valérie Lozeron, who took no less than 16 and nine hours respectively to create the samurai’s armour entirely by hand. The couple commented that although they’d worked with Richard Mille before, when the brand first came to them with the suggestion for the RM 47 Tourbillon, they thought it would be impossible to create. Pierre-Alain Lozeron says the bushido code was in full effect during the watch’s creation: in the almost meditative nature of the time-consuming engraving and painting work, and in the respect and loyalty shown by the Richard Mille team during the process of making it.

The Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon features a design inspired by the samurai bushido code.

The watch features numerous details that demonstrate just how dedicated Richard Mille’s pursuit of authenticity is. The samurai’s armour is depicted in 3N yellow gold, a material that recalls the gold leaf commonly used in Japanese crafts. The tourbillon carriage appears at six o’clock, decorated with the kamon, or heraldic sign, of the Asano samurai clan, once led by the legendary Asano Naganori, the late 17th and early 18th century warrior whose death was famously avenged by 47 ronin. It represents two crossed falcon feathers, and also appears in miniature proportions engraved on the warrior’s helmet. Above it, a pair of swords with upturned blades scythe across the dial, while a motif of a Japanese maple leaf adorns the titanium, Carbon TPT and polished 3N yellow gold crown.

Inside the Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon, which is powered by the newly developed calibre RM47.

The RM 47 Tourbillon is powered by the newly developed calibre RM47, a manual winding tourbillon movement with hours and minutes, which has been shrunk down to slimline proportions in order to accommodate the imposing figure of the samurai that dominates the dial. The tourbillon carriage and part of the gear train are visible from either side of the case, while the baseplate and skeletonised bridges are made of grade 5 titanium with a black PVD coating, which combines corrosion resistance with rigidity and extremely flat surfaces.

The whole package comes wrapped in a barrel-shaped case with a case band in 3N yellow gold, with a bezel and caseback in black TZP ceramic – the perfect backdrop to showcase the unique example of horological sculpture that appears on the dial.