RARE & EXOTIC LIMITED EDITION

* * You WILL NOT See Many of These Around! * *

Richard Mille presents a watch with the latest technical innovation: a model called the RM 030, powered by the new automatic Caliber RMAR1, which features a so-called “declutchable” winding rotor. As most watch savants know, the movement of an automatic wristwatch uses a small, turning rotor, activated by the motions of the watch’s wearer, to transmit energy to the winding barrel. However, it is easy to overwind the watch’s mainspring after it reaches its optimal point. Watchmakers traditionally guard against this problem by using a sliding flange that allows the spring to slip, thus preventing the movement from becoming overwound. However, this common system allows the build-up of harmful debris inside the winding barrel as the flange releases the excess energy of overwinding during longer periods, especially when the wearer is particularly active. This, in turn, can severely affect the watch’s accuracy. Richard Mille’s solution, which took four years to develop, was equipping a movement, Caliber RMAR1, with a rotor that declutches automatically, meaning that the winding barrel is automatically disconnected from the rotor’s winding mechanism at the moment the spring is fully wound. Additionally, this new mechanism is linked to the power-reserve indicator, which helps to provide ideal winding control. This allows both the movement and the oscillator to work with the best ratio of constant torque/power to provide the best chronometric performance. The first models of the Automatic RM 030 with Declutchable Rotor. The darker of the duo, the RM 030 Black Out, uses the black-DLC-coated titanium for its entire case. The other all-black elements include the inner bezel, the crown protector, the rubber strap with deployant buckle, and the numerals on the skeleton dial. The watch features a handful of subtle red accents, including the date aperture, the tip of the central seconds hand, and the indicators for the winding and power reserve.