Richard Mille Is Feeling The Spirit Of Rock’N’Roll With The New RM 66 Flying Tourbillon

Richard Mille has kicked off the New Year with quite a bang. Inspired by the world of rock music and the revolutionary spirit of the Sixties, Richard Mille has launched the new RM 66 Flying Tourbillon — disrupting the watch industry once again.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Richard Mille

Limited to just 50 pieces, the “Horn To Be Wild” timepiece teems with rock’n’roll design elements. But, perhaps the focal point of the timepiece is the 5N red gold hand in the “horns” gesture that sits in the middle of the dial, holding the movement in its fingers. Conceptualized by Creative and Development Director Cécile Guenat, the hand’s five fingers were first milled, then transferred to the master engraver to be perfected by hand — requiring unparalleled craftsmanship by  Genevan engraver Olivier Vaucher.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Richard Mille

Further adhering to this rock’n’roll theme, the grade 5 titanium caseband features 5N red gold plates with a ‘clou de Paris’ pattern that mimics that of the punk belts, the Carbon TPT® bezel introduces texture to the timepiece, almost looking like that of static from the heavy metal sound, and the grade 5 titanium crown is designed in the shape of a spider whose gothic-inspired segments embrace a ruby and its circular black rubber gasket. Even the index points are shaped like a guitar plectrum, extended by a lancet arch in titanium.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Richard Mille

Inside the case, more mind-blowing details emerge. In fact, according to Julien Boillat, Technical Director for Cases, the timepiece took over 200 hours to complete: “Between its development and finalization, we spent more than 200 hours on this piece, in addition to the 12 hours required to machine and finish a single crown. Polishing titanium is much more difficult than polishing gold or steel. Not only that, but the polishing also made it difficult to hold the crown without slippage, so we had to use special fixtures to fix the piece from the inside. The creation of this crown thus involves a subtle alchemy.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Richard Mille

A first for Richard Mille, the RM66 manual winding caliber showcases a fast-winding barrel providing a 72-hour power reserve positioned at 6 o’clock and the tourbillon at 12 o’clock. To ensure the greatest possible transparency, the grade 5 titanium movement is highly skeletonized due to a complex mechanical solution rarely used by Richard Mille to enhance the skeletonization: a flying tourbillon with variable inertia. In addition, the tourbillon cage is fixed at only one end of its axis, eliminating the upper bridge to visually accentuate the ethereal qualities of the caliber. This atypical arrangement, with the movement flipped by 180°, offers a dynamic element to the tourbillon.

A brilliant new addition to the Richard Mille repertoire, exuding extravagance in design and high watchmaking, the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon is ready to take the stage.