The Sportive Elegance Of The New Richard Mille RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne

With Richard Mille, many people instantly think of ultra-light creations made from ground-breaking new materials fitted with complex mechanical movements with unprecedented toughness. Although already impressive by itself, that alone isn’t enough for Mille, as he also has very high standards for the aesthetic appeal of his watches. The new RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne is the perfect example of this. Featuring an entirely new case design, the watch brings together the high-tech look of Carbon TPT, with the warm, precious color of red gold, in elegant yet imposing lines.

The RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne also has unparalleled stiffness, and that is because Mille combined the Carbon TPT with a mainplate made from Haynes 214. This nickel-chromium-aluminium-iron alloy is crafted in a honeycomb structure and has a vibrant blue color. Being light and extremely rigid, it makes for the perfect material for Mille to build the manual wound tourbillon movement on, featuring bridges made from grade 5 titanium, a hallmark of the brand. The honeycomb mainplate from Haynes 214 also adds a dash of color to the mix that Mille uses in the scales and numerals on the dial made from sapphire crystal. This creates the perfect unity and amplifies the synergy between all these unique elements.

While Mille maintained a very clean look for the RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne, it provides you with more information than expected at first. The twelve o’clock position is flanked by a power reserve indicator on the left and a torque indicator on the right. At the four o’clock position, the function selector of the crown tells you if it is set to winding, neutral, or hand-setting the time. Changing between the functions is done by a mere push on the crown. The fast-rotating mainspring barrel, occupying the top half of the watch, gives the RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne a power reserve of 70-hours. While the watch, and its movement, have a very technical look to it, the finishing reflects the finest Swiss traditions with hand-polished anglage and locking sections, as well as lapped and polished contact points. The RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne will be limited to just 50 pieces.