• In-house automatic tourbillon Calibre CRMT5
  
• Bezels: Gold leaf incorporated in Quartz TPT^®
  
• Material exclusive to Richard Mille in watchmaking

Within the Richard Mille workshops, each watch is crafted as a work of art, blending cutting-edge technology with timeless aesthetics. Which is how the idea came about of incorporating gold leaf into Quartz TPT^®, a high-tech material.

At the heart of this creation a desire to wed ineffable Time to materials that transcend the present. The RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon thus dons a luminous new attire, cloaking its mechanical heart in the ethereal glow of Gold Quartz TPT^®. This material, exclusive to Richard Mille in watchmaking, perfectly embodies one of the brand’s guiding principles— innovation as a conduit for sensation. Its radiant exterior deploys a delicate fusion of mineral and metal, brought to life by years of meticulous research.

In this alchemical blend, the technical resilience of Quartz TPT^® entwines with the timeless allure of gold, yielding a material that balances the best of both modern and tradition worlds. Developed over several years with the brand’s partner, Swiss composite expert North Thin Ply Technology, Gold Quartz TPT^® is the culmination of a complex process: ultra-thin sheets of quartz fibres are stacked, layer upon layer, then heated to 120° at a pressure of 6 bars. The result is a composite both rugged and refined, with natural striations that weave a unique visual tapestry. Within this structure, delicate leaves of 22-carat 5N red gold are embedded, their warm glow shimmering through the translucent quartz. This union of elements produces an exquisite play of light, a dance between the delicacy of gold and the primal strength of quartz.

At the heart of the RM 74-02 beats the CRMT5 Calibre, an in-house automatic tourbillon movement crafted from 18K 5N red gold and 18K 3N yellow gold for the baseplate and bridges, respectively. Within this intricate and architectural openwork structure, the tourbillon regulator ensures the movement’s precision.

A red gold and platinum variable-geometry rotor is responsible for producing the energy of the watch, energy that flows seamlessly from fast-winding barrel, transmitted through the meshing teeth of involute gears, sustaining 50 hours of flawless performance. The bevelled flange, expertly crafted with festooned edges, highlights the lines of the movement, while hand-finished details refine the watch’s delicate features.

Like the Gold Carbon TPT^® version before it, the new RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon adorned with the distinctive and distinguished Gold Quartz TPT^® exemplifies how science and artistry can unite to create a true masterpiece of timekeeping.

In-house calibre CRMT5: Skeletonised automatic-winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, variable-geometry rotor

Dimensions: 30.70 x 23.70 x 6.20 mm
Jewels: 23
Balance: CuBe, 4 arms and 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 7.5 mg•cm², angle of lift 50°
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Balance spring: AK3
Shock protection: Incabloc 908.22.211.100 (transparent)



Power reserve: Around 50 hours (± 10%)

Baseplate and bridges made of gold
The baseplate and bridges are machined from 18K 5N red gold and 18K 3N yellow gold respectively, both microblasted and bevelled by hand.
The skeletonised baseplate and bridges were subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimize their resistance capacities.

Variable-geometry rotor
The RM 74-02 uses variable geometry to optimise the rotor’s winding motion.
Rotor speci cations:

• Heavy outside edge and heavy edge ring in 5N red gold
  
• Weight segment in platinum
  
• 18K white gold wings
  
• Automatic OneWay^® winding system in ceramic with ball bearings
  
• Bidirectional winding system

This variable-geometry rotor has been incorporated within the in-house CRMT5 calibre, making it possible to set the rotor according to the owner’s activity level.

The setting is modified by adjusting the two moveable weights into the correct position and fixing them in place with spline screws. The inertia of the movement is increased when the two weights are closer together; the barrel then rewinds more quickly. If the weights are positioned at the extremities of the rotor, the inertia is decreased and the barrel winds more slowly.

Free-sprung balance with variable inertia
This type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation. It guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shocks and during movement assembly or disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time.
The regulator index is eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible thanks to 4 small, adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

Fast-rotating barrel (5 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours)
This type of barrel provides the following advantages:

• The phenomenon of periodic internal mainspring adhesion is signi cantly diminished, thereby increasing performance.
  
• Provision of an excellent mainspring delta curve with an ideal power reserve/performance and regularity ratio.

Gear teeth profile
The entire going train of the watch, the primary transmitter of power throughout the movement, utilises a special profile for the teeth of the wheels that ensures a 20° pressure angle. This system equalises any discrepancies that might arise among the centres of the various wheels, for instance due to thermal changes and normal use, and promotes the smooth transmission of torque to the balance wheel, thus supporting excellent chronometric results.

Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are therefore una ected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.



The design and execution of the watch demonstrate a holistic approach to conception of the movement, case and dial. As a result, everything has been constructed according to extremely rigorous speci cations. For example, a casing ring is no longer used, and the movement is mounted on chassis mounting rubbers (ISO SW) xed by titanium screws.

Quartz TPT® bres are generally used for very high-performance applications due to their resistance to high temperatures, their strength and their transparency to electromagnetic waves. It is composed of over 600 layers of parallel laments obtained from separating silica threads. They are then assembled on a dedicated machine, which stacks the layers, varying the orientation of the bres by 45° between layers and alternating them with 22K gold leaf layers. As gold is a noble material in chemical terms, it was very di cult for the Richard Mille engineers to ensure it ‘fused’ correctly with Quartz TPT^®. The composite is then heated to 120°C and subjected to a pressure of 6 bars in an autoclave similar to those used to make aeronautical components, after which it is ready to be machined at Richard Mille.

This process accentuates the speci c characteristics of these materials, which in turn enhance the contours of the cases they adorn thanks to the unique play of light they create and their extremely attractive graduation of golden tones. The caseband is made of 18K 5N red gold.

The tripartite case is water resistant to 50 metres ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 grade 5 titanium spline screws and abrasion-resistant washers in 316 L stainless steel.

Dimensions: 52.63 x 34.40 x 13.05 mm

Upper flange
Microblasted 18K 3N yellow gold, hand-polished and PVD treated.

Crystal

• Bezel side: In sapphire (1,800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (both sides).
  Thickness: 1.60 mm
  
• Caseback: In sapphire with anti-glare treatment (both sides).
  
• Thickness: 0.95 mm and 1.74 mm at the edges

Variation

• Gold carbon TPT^®
  
• Gold Quartz TPT^®

Movement

• Hand-polished anglage
  
• Hand-polished stepped bevelling
  
• Microblasted milled section
  
• Microblasted sinks
  
• PVD treatment for the bridges
  
• Electraplasma treatment for the baseplate

Steel parts

• Satin- nished surfaces
  
• Hand-polished anglage
  
• Hand-polished sinks
  
• Burnished sections

Profile-turning

• Lapped and polished ends
  
• Burnished pivots
  
• Post faces polished

Wheels

• Diamond-polished sinks
  
• Circular decorations on the front surfaces
  
• Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
  
• Minimal corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance