Richard Mille unveils new Robert Mancini edition
Haute horlogerie brand Richard Mille has debuted the RM 11-04 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Roberto Mancini. The RM 11-04 incorporates the brand’s latest style codes, as seen in the new lines of the crown, its variable-geometry rotor, and its ultra-sporty case in Carbon TPT with raised crenulations
Roberto Mancini, a Richard Mille partner since 2013, is the manager of the Italian national football team – Squadra Azzurra. Back on home turf after coaching the Saint Petersburg Zenit club for two years, Roberto is taking up a new challenge: making Italy the number one football nation in Europe and the world. Roberto will be wearing the new RM 11-04 Mancini as he shoulders his task and attempts to make the dream of so many ‘tifosis’ come true.
Released in 2013, the RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini was born of discussions between the Italian manager and Richard Mille over how to address an issue coaches confront on the field, namely, how much playing time is left in a match? Time is a strategic resource and a quantitative reality that can be a source of tremendous stress in this sport. Once time ceases to be displayed on the scoreboard, during extra time, for instance, it keys up anxiety, causing players to lose their bearings and inevitably affecting tactics during play.
The idea of creating a mechanical watch with a dedicated dial for tracking half-time, extra time and overtime might seem an obvious one, however, the ingenious display, combined with the availability of a flyback chronograph, gives Roberto complete mastery of time on the playing field.
The colours of the Italian flag, Il Tricolore, as well as the official blue shade that gives the Squadra Azzurra its nickname are all nods to Roberto’s background, incorporated all around the automatic calibre, which powers a flyback chronograph and annual calendar. They adorn the bezel, crown, pusher-caps and the rubber bracelet, this last with a titanium folding buckle. The new casing houses the grade 5 titanium calibre RMAC3 – a skeletonised automatic winding movement, which boasts a power reserve of 55 hours.
This flyback chronograph equipping is designed for a football match. The dial displays match time on the basis of two 45-minute halves, and up to 15 minutes of stoppage time. Pressing the pusher at 4 o’clock once actuates the flyback function and repositions the hand at 12 o’clock, ready to start the second half. If extra time is awarded, the flyback function can be reactivated so that the watch shows the 15 minutes of extra match time and up to 5 minutes of stoppage time.
The user can start or stop the chronograph function via the pusher located between 1 and 2 o’clock. By using the pusher between 4 and 5 o’clock, the running chronograph can be reset without having to stop the mechanism first.
The oversize date display and annual calendar are both semi-instantaneous and are placed in a white and blue aperture under 12 o’clock with automatic adjustment for months of 30 or 31 days. The month display, also semi-instantaneous, is indicated with Arabic numerals placed between 4 and 5 o’clock.
