Style Edit: Richard Mille’s RM 65

Aug 10, 2023

As the most complicated timepiece ever produced by Richard Mille’s workshops, it is the result of a gruelling five years of development. From its dazzling dial, packed with indications from a chronograph to a small seconds, to its sleek case in beautiful grey Quartz TPT, this is a sports watch of unparalleled technical sophistication.

That sophistication starts with the case. Quartz TPT, a highly technical material developed by Richard Mille, is made from incredibly thin filaments of quartz that are fused together under high heat to create a spectacular mottled, textured finish. Quartz TPT can be found across the bezel, caseband and caseback of the RM 65-01, where it forms a stunning aesthetic contrast with the micro-blasted, polished, satin-finished grade 5 titanium found on the crown, the chronograph buttons and the plate engraved with the name of the watch on the caseband – as well as within the movement, on the chassis and bridges.

The action-packed dial shows off a variety of indications, including a split-second hand to calculate intermediate times, the first time Richard Mille has included such a feature on a watch with an automatic movement. In a charming touch that also aids legibility, the various features on the dial are each indicated by a different colour: light blue for the hours, minutes and small seconds at 6 o’clock; blue for the date display; orange for the chronograph’s sweep seconds hand, and the 30-minute and 12-hour totalisers; yellow for the winding mechanism; and purple for the split-seconds hand.

In another first for Richard Mille, the RM 65-01 comes with a rapid winding mechanism, activated by a lemon yellow Quartz TPT pusher at 8 o’clock. A particularly challenging technical achievement, the mechanism allows the barrel to be fully wound with just 125 presses of the pusher.

At the watch’s heart is a powerful calibre developed by Richard Mille in collaboration with renowned Swiss movement maker Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier. It comes with a power reserve of 60 hours, thanks to a fast rotating barrel; while extremely timekeeping accuracy and precise stopwatch calculations are guaranteed by a high frequency balance with variable inertia. The piece also comes equipped with a new gearbox, which allows the wearer to easily toggle between three modes – traditional winding, semi-instantaneous date adjustment and setting the time – by pressing a function selector in the crown. It’s no surprise to learn that the watch contains more than 600 components.

As well as grey Quartz TPT, the RM 65-01 also comes in renditions in Carbon TPT, 5N red gold and titanium – ensuring there’s a version for everyone of the most advanced of watches from the most advanced of watchmakers.