Richard Mille unveils a new travel tourbillon watch
Richard Mille and Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) have launched a new travel-watch – the RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibrating Alarm Airbus Corporate Jets, which is inspired by and adapted to, exclusive journeys on an Airbus Corporate Jets
A watch featuring an all new grand complication, an incomparable timepiece for travellers, and a companion suited to daily wear and use, the RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibrating Alarm ACJ exemplifies the entire Richard Mille philosophy: taking functionality and performance to new limits. From its complexity, to its complications, to its ergonomics, this piece constitutes a total work of haute horlogerie.
The second iteration of a collaboration between Richard Mille and Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) – the Airbus subsidiary commercialising bespoke private aircraft – the RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibrating Alarm ACJ is a lifestyle watch with a particular focus on the traveller.
The RM 62-01 is designed for the discretion prevailing in the hushed atmosphere of luxury. Transmitted exclusively by vibrations, its alarm function attests consideration and savoir-faire. It owes its existence to an absolutely singular technical approach. Supremely easy to use, this complication embodies a paradox. Normally, an effective alarm needs to be audible from afar… this watch, however, needed to remain within the compass of a few millimetres.
In contrast to the traditional alarms and chimes of most horological pieces, that of the RM 62-01 is absolutely silent. The time signal is transmitted by a vibration only the wearer can perceive – a welcome consideration in a meeting room or a first-class cabin. A major concern was that the vibrating alarm had to be designed so as not to affect the watch movement. This ultimately led to the idea of using an offset weight in solid gold, akin to an automatic rotor, inspired by the vibrating function of earlier mobile phones.
Four partial prototypes and extensive studies based on models and space constraints were required in order to fit so many components and functionalities in the limited volume. There were 816 parts to be housed, 2 barrels, 7 hands, 11 displays and a tourbillon cage. One of Richard Mille’s watch constructors worked on this full time for five years, sometimes with the help of an additional watch constructor, with progress meetings every two weeks.
The most complicated watch Richard Mille has ever created, the RM 62-01 is equipped with a range of complications catering to the business traveller, while breaking with the standard codes of travel watches. It incorporates a UTC indicator for a second time zone, indicated by the green hand at the centre. At 9 o’clock, below the sapphire dial, the tourbillon possesses a free-sprung balance oscillating at 3Hz. The Oversize date is positioned at 12 o’clock and framed by an aperture with the red hatching typical of Richard Mille. Here, the indicator for the movement’s 70-hour power reserve can be found at 11 o’clock.
All functions relating to the vibrating alarm are grouped on the lower part of the main dial. This is the first watch to boast a function selector with a full five positions to permit adjustment of all settings. Adjustable to the nearest minute on a 24-hour basis, when the appropriate function is selected, the alarm has three indicators of its own: on/off, AM/PM and a power-reserve indicator. The RM 62-01 is also the only alarm to be wound, not by rotating the crown, but simply by pressing the pusher—12 times suffices to fully charge the alarm’s power reserve.
The RM 62-01 follows in the footsteps of the 2016 RM 50-02 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph ACJ, from which it inherits its distinctive lines. But where the RM 50-02 reverberated with the whiteness of the jumbo jet, the RM 62-01 appears inspired by the smooth depths of dark wood panelling from a bespoke cabin interior designed by Sylvain Mariat, Head of ACJ Creative Design & Concepts. The sapphire glass, shaped like an airplane window, crowns the many indicators, which remain easily legible thanks to their colour codes and strong contrast. The extra-wide diameter titanium crown recalls a jet turbine, while the pushers evoke the profile of pylons connecting the engine and wing.
The RM 62-01 has a double bezel, a feature that it also sports on the caseback. Resting on a satin-polished titanium bezel, the second bezel is milled from a block of Carbon TPT to a thickness of just 1.8 mm. The choice of these materials transcends merely aesthetic considerations: the titanium/ Carbon TPT pairing provides an optimal weight to stiffness ratio in the functional context of the RM 62-01. This combination ensures that vibrations produced by the alarm will be transferred to the wrist and deflected from the movement, which is thus protected by the structure of the watch itself.
The acquisition of such an exceedingly complex object clearly shows a determination entirely in keeping with the singular aesthetic of this limited edition of 30 pieces.
