[SIHH 2017] The New Richard Mille RM50-03 Split-Second Tourbillon Chronograph McLaren F1
Jan 16, 2017,03:00 AM
Richard Mille has finally presented today it first piece from the partnership with the F1 team McLaren.
For this special occasion, the brand has chosen the World's lightest Split-second Tourbillon Chronograph:
The RM50-03 McLaren F1.
Indeed the RM50-3 weighs less than 40 grams (including the new strap). FYI, the original RM035 in Aluminum and Magnesium alloy was around the same but with a much simpler movement (hour, minutes and seconds). This shows the huge performance, especially if we consider what is made today in watchmaking.
To the Titanium and Carbon TPT the brand masters, the company has added a new material to help reaching this goal. They call it Graph TPT (usually called Graphene).
The use of this new light and resistant material has been developped with the National Graphene Institute, established at the University of Manchester in 2015, where it was first isolated in 2004 by a professor of the School of Physics and Astronomy (labs shown below).
Graphene is 6 times litgher than steel and 200 times stronger. McLaren is integrating this material as well in their Forumla 1 car as having a lower density (thus lighter) and higher resistance. Even in that field, they still find better carbon-based materials. That's very exciting for people who like those technologies and science.
That's the moment when RM teams worked to apply this new tech to their TPT Carbon. This needs also making improvements on the tools used to craft that hard material, with the right precision.
The case is 44.5 x 49.65 x 16.1 mm and, as you can see on the picture below, it uses the recent RM design for the case with the "notches", used in the RM035-01 -02, RM027-01 and new RM011-03. The hands as well as several elements (scales, counters...) are new in terms of style. The flange is also in Carbon. The crown is made from the design of F1 wheel central screw and the pushers have been also modified and have also this red line that I wasn't used before that way.
The movement uses Titanium as well as Carbon TPT to reach such a lightness while remaining resistant to shocks.
The cage, via a bridge structure instead of a cage fixing the movement to the caseband, is made of Graphene as well.
The lightness of the movement's parts and their very high resistant (Titanium) and finishing helps the mechanism behaving very well in terms of chronometry and energy consumption. The hardness from their material and precise teeth profile allow to reach such a performance.
It has a cost but this is really something stunning in watchmaking standards imho. You can easily imagine that with such harder and lighter material, used not only in a case but also for some movement parts, the timekeeping and reliability is enhanced in a significant way. It allows better machining of the wheels with a higher precision and higher durability.
Added to this, the watch has a Tourbillon that has proven not to be a fragile gimmick but a tool for time accuracy and that has proven to be reliable on the wrist of several professional players.
On the dial you can also see the 70-hour power reserve as well as the torque indicator. The function selector is also on the right side.
Concerning the strap, improvements have also been made as Graphene was also included in its design. It improves elasticity (I was surprised by that) and resistance to wear.
Well, when I saw the teaser I was thinking that using a RM050 wasn't that new (we always have high expectations with RM even thought the RM050 is an incredible watch) and, as I wasn't that fan of the new "notches", I wasn't that excited. However, I must say now that I love it and that it makes it the best of the versions for me (better than the previous Lotus for instance).
The full TPT Carbon case, with the new design (as it is black it is not as visible and brings a very nice touch to this sporty design), the slight touches of colour, I think that the new RM050-03 McLaren F1 has the perfect balance and combination. Some colours at the right place and not too much, the new dial design and balance, the new pushers and of course the amazing caliber wich makes it certainly one of the best out there for a Split-second Tourbillon movement.
The RM 50-03 McLaren F1 will be produced is a 75 pieces limited edition and will be available in Richard Mille boutiques only. Each watch will be accompanied by a 1:5 scale model of the McLaren-Honda racing car driven in 2017 by Double-World Champion Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.
More about the watch here if you wish (as well as a part concerning the new partnership with McLaren):
http://richardmille.com/watch/rm-50-03/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
