STYLE Edit: Why high-flyers will love Richard Mille’s most complicated watch – if they can get one
The RM 62-01 from Richard Mille transmits its alarm by vibration only, a considerate move designed for boardroom meetings and first-class cabins
Just when we thought that haute horology at Richard Mille could not get any more intriguing, the brand has unveiled its most complicated watch – the RM 62-01.
Conceptualised and created over five years, the timepiece offers a vibrating alarm made of 816 parts, including two barrels, seven hands, 11 displays and a tourbillon cage.
Inspired by the world of aviation, the RM 62-01 has been made in collaboration with Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) and is designed for affluent jet-setters who will truly appreciate the functionality and aesthetics of this watch.
While the design of the RM 62-01 borrows several elements from the bespoke cabin interiors of an ACJ aircraft – from the deep, contrasting colour codes to the sapphire glass shaped like an aeroplane window, and the extra-wide crown modelled on a jet turbine – the functions offered by this watch are hard to beat.
Promising a 70-hour power reserve, the RM 62-01 is equipped with a UTC indicator for a second time zone, an oversized date display, am/pm indicator, a tourbillon and – most fascinating of all – the vibrating alarm function which can be wound with the help of a pusher instead of rotating the crown. While most companies have spent millions on making the alarms on their watches sound louder and clearer, the brand has characteristically opted out of that race. The alarm on the RM 62-01 is made to be felt only by the wearer and not heard by anyone else.
“Rather than a hammer that creates a sound by striking a pillar, a gong or the interior of the case, the time signal is transmitted by a vibration only the wearer can perceive. In the intensely focused atmosphere of a meeting room, as in the confined space of a first-class cabin, such consideration is always welcome,” according to the brand. To achieve this discretion, the brand has used a special oscillating mass that spins at a high enough speed for the user to sense the vibration of the alarm but not hear it. The maximum duration of the vibration is 12 seconds. To protect the watch’s movement from getting disrupted by the vibrations of the alarm, Richard Mille has used a combination of titanium and Carbon TPT for its case structure, so that the vibrations are only felt on the wrist and not transferred to the movement.
Among its other significant features, the watch also offers a pusher on the crown to select five adjustable modes: N (neutral), W (winding), T (time setting), U (UTC hand setting) and A (alarm setting). The selected mode is highlighted using a disc at 3 o’clock. To ensure flawless functioning, the brand had a single watchmaker work full-time on this special timepiece from beginning to end.
“Before producing an entire movement, a wide range of technical questions had to be answered. Four partial prototypes and extensive studies based on models and space constraints were required to fit so many components and functionalities in the limited volume,” according to the brand.
