Richard Mille Enters Haute Joaillerie Watchmaking Space With RM 71-01 Automatic Tourbillon Talisman Women’s Collection

Though known for its super high-end, sporty-looking timepieces that are high-performance and technically-driven, luxury watch manufacturer Richard Mille has entered the haute joaillerie watchmaking space with the women’s RM 71-01 Automatic Tourbillon Talisman. 10 versions of the RM 71-01 have been designed, limited to only five made of each design.

“We are known for our incredibly technical, high-performance watches that draw inspiration from the automotive and aeronautics industries, even though women’s watches have represented a considerable percentage of our sales for several years now,” stated Richard Mille. “That said, we needed a modern, creative and talented young woman to inject new energy into our status quo and take the women’s collection to new heights. It was Cécile Guenat, the daughter of my friend and business partner Dominique, who met this challenge by overcoming technical obstacles, freeing herself from consensus and establishing a unique and resolutely contemporary style.”

With a background in high-end jewelry, Cécile—now Ladies’ Collection Director—was inspired by a bevy of different artistic styles, including Art Deco, Bauhaus and even African. “My work is the fruit of very different influences, sometimes unexpected or improbable,” the young creator began. “I had an idea of what I wanted from the start and I designed a moodboard from my drawings and image searches, because anything that pops into my head can be of interest.” She also emphasized the skeleton movement in the case setting and engraving.

With three years of development, her 10, innovative designs of course, incorporate the technical elements that Richard Mille has become so well-known for. It uses the first ever tourbillon movement crafted in-house—the Calibre CRMT1—as well as a new, slim, automatic mechanism that is both incredibly light in weight and high performance, combining diamonds, mother-of-pearl, black sapphires and onyx. Visually speaking, the 71-01 is an eye-catching stunner. And just as its name suggest, we’re certain that the 50 lucky buyers of the watch—priced at USD 425,000—will enjoy the good luck that each of these highly coveted, magical timepieces will bring.

The Technical Details

Per the brand, the main features of the watch are as follows:

• Limited suite of 10 variations, each produced in an edition of just five pieces
• Calibre CRMT1
• Automatic winding tourbillon movement
• Power reserve: circa 50 hours (+/- 10%)
• Baseplate and bridges made of grade 5 titanium
• Gem-set rotor with variable-geometry
• Free-sprung balance with variable inertia
• Fast rotating barrel
• Gear teeth profile
• Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the movement and case
• Case in gem-set red or white gold
• Dial in gem-set red gold
• Flanges in carbon fibre composite
• Dimensions of the movement: 30.70 x 23.70mm
• Thickness: 6.20mm
• Number of jewels: 23

All photos courtesy of Richard Mille. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.