The watch brand of Richard Mille has recently offered an new extra flat watch, the RM 017 tourbillon, with a manual wind in an extra flat rectangular case featuring modern and elegant lines. As an typical model presenting Richard Mille’s zeal for constantly exploring new technical and aesthetic territory, this RM 017 tourbillon makes its entry into the horological world with an immediate declaration of its unique personality which allies lifestyle with watch making of the highest order.
You can find this piece to be highly complex and special just from the picture. Thus it has surely achieved the remarkable feat of combining the technical sophistication of a Richard Mille tourbillion movement with an ultra modern design, all enclosed in a case of a mere 8.7mm total thickness. As a timepiece incorporating functionality with comfort and elegance, the RM 017 tourbillon has associated the best of Swiss watch making tradition with novel solutions, both in the choice of materials and the overall design.
Nothing has been left to chance in the design of the RM 017 tourbillon. Each part has been carefully manufactured to meet Richard Mille’s requirements in terms of rigidity and precision. That explains why the movement plate is made from grade 2 titanium with a black PVD coating, thus providing the assembly great rigidity and an excellent flatness of surface, important for the perfect functioning of the gear train. Besides, the ceramic endstone for the tourbillon cage is another technical response to the phenomena of wear and the result of an in-depth study of friction and its effect on the longevity of the components.
This RM 017 tourbillon has displayed the brand’s search of optimal reliability by introducing a barrel pawl with progressive recoil, a system which avoids overtightening of the spring when winding and which removes any risk of knocking the escapement. The timepiece makes use once again of the function selector developed by Richard Mille based on a car’s gearbox. The selected mode – winding, neutral or handsetting – is displayed by a needle situated at 4 o’clock.
The marked technical feature is set off by a hand polished finish. You can see from the case alone how much attention has been paid to the very smallest detail in the manufacture of its three main components, bezel, case middle and back. The case is evidence of Richard Mille’s overall approach in which movement and case are developed together in total consistency to guarantee its optimal performance. And it surely can adapt to use in extreme conditions. In addition, as for comfort, the strap, a perfect fit for the wrist, offers at the same time proportions that are innovative and perfectly balanced, without disturbing the lines in any way.
This new Richard Mille RM 017 tourbillon is a numbered limited edition of 50 pieces.
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