![]() ![]() The very strong Carbon nanotubes are injected in a polymer resin to build a lightweight and very resistant case. Nanotube Carbon polymer – This material was used for the first time in the spectacular RM027 Rafael Nadal (and opening a new page in sportsmen wearing watches while playing). Silicon Nitride Bezel and caseback (caseband is in rose gold) I think it has been used for a limited number of pieces and may have been difficult (and expensive) to use. Silicon Nitride Si3N4 – Used for instance in NASA shuttles applications (ball bearings as harder than metallic ones or shuttle engine as high temperature resistant), it’s a rare, rather light strong ceramic that was used in the RM011. Brushed Titanium caseback Brushed Titanium bezelĪs well, the “All Grey” finish is a very attractive sandblasted treatment of the surface (looking greyer, more matte). Titanium alloys we see in some watches on the market are usually not “grade 5”. The exquisite brushed finish of Richard Mille has a very nice look on Titanium and is a little less likely to get scratches compared to Steel. It’s a very hard and light metal that resists well to corrosion. Titanium Grade 5 – Richard Mille began with this material in the RM001 Tourbillon, for the baseplate. For a tech or racing nerd, this is very exciting. In the end, you really obtain from an RM watch an essence extract of what a racing car, satellite, plane or racing boats are. Luxury is a question of relative stance more than an objective state. In that sense, Carbon or Magnesium can also be defined as precious materials, even more so since their craftmanship is harder to deal with than soft gold. Comfort becomes a very important element when you’ve experienced one of Richard Mille’s watches, at the point precious materials nearly feel too heavy to enjoy. Models from established brands offer slipper-comfort at the cost of a higher price.Ī watch mechanism can be shock-resistant thanks to very strong materials containing the impact or softer materials absorbing it. I would make a parallel with shoes: it isn’t only about shine and shape, it’s also about comfort. Rigid hard Titanium or Alusic materials, for instance, prevent bridges and plates from bending or breaking, reduce case wear and tear or provide unequalled wearing comfort. As curiosity leads, it’s finally about finding the way to shape them, by designing and setting the right tools, but also to answer the question “does it bring something in terms of lightness and/or strength”, which drives the movement’s reliability and accuracy. We like very high-tech stuff (can be extended to planes, boats, shuttles, etc…) but aren’t surprised to not find such evolutions in watches? Well, it’s illogical and there should be room for another interpretation of watchmaking in the materials used, in parallel, aside of the motion design area (movement).įrom that point, it seems that Richard Mille has found an intense pleasure in exploring new materials for his watches. We can still like vintage cars but we love when they also add Carbon, Magnesium, new engines, exhaust lines, tires behaviour, carbon-ceramic brakes, etc… in modern ones. The crossover between these worlds is obvious. We know traditional watchmaking isn’t a really “avant-garde” field (hence there is room for modernism) and we are many to love technical machines, especially cars. And the reward of what the brand is today is well deserved. Yes, he was taking a risk none accepted back then. It came as a consequence of the fact he didn’t want (and maybe didn’t need) to make compromises and do things halfway. He believed in the price acceptance for what he enjoyed creating. The result is usually highly priced because he didn’t take costs into consideration from the beginning (while obviously convinced there was a market for them). Its founder Richard Mille, a racing cars aficionado, always had in mind to start from what he liked before designing his models. They select from the most innovative sectors what can be applied to watchmaking, sometimes at the cost of a significant development time. ![]() I wished to come up to a major subject about what RM is: the manufacturing technique and, more precisely, the materials.Īs far as Richard Mille is concerned, materials choices and crafting are a significant aspect of what the brand is, whether we are talking about cases or movements’ structures. As you may have notice, although I mainly post about Patek, I’m also fond of Richard Mille’s execution regarding watches. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |