• The elegance of a case crafted in red gold and titanium
  
• An in-house automatic calibre: the CRMA4
  
• Revisiting the world-timer complication in a limited edition of 100 watches

An ode to travel in horological form, the RM 63-02 Automatic Worldtimer takes an elegant and eminently Richard Mille approach to a technical complication transcending time and place. The ingenious time-zone setting mechanism enables its user to instantly determine the local time at any desired spot, making this new watch a precious ally for frequent travellers.

The most remarkable feature of the RM 63-02 lies in its reinterpretation of the world-timer complication. Unlike traditional versions, which employ a crown or pushers to adjust the time, Richard Mille’s movement and casing engineers joined forces to position this function directly on a rotating bezel.

Thanks to the micro-blasted 5N red gold bezel mounted on ball bearings, a traveller may select a city with a simple twist to instantly enter the desired time zone. A wheel integrated into the bezel and connected to the hour-wheel simultaneously adjusts the local time to that of the city at 12 o’clock and updates the time for the 23 other cities on the bezel. The time anywhere is easily read thanks to a graduated inner flange with 24 hour-markers. The two-tone disc in rose and burgundy distinguishes day from night while automatically adjusting each time zone.

The RM 63-02 features a round 47 x 13.45 mm case milled from satin-finished 5N red gold with polished bevels, paired with a grade 5 titanium caseband whose finishes echo the front. It’s a silhouette designed for ease of use and all-day comfort, notably thanks to the case back’s multi-radius milling, a signature of the brand. The three-part case comprises 106 components, of which 12 are entirely dedicated to controlling the world-timer bezel.
A further 86 parts of the Calibre CRMA4 also contribute to this function.

This innovative design requires extreme precision of all elements for optimal and durable functioning of the complication. Reliability was confirmed by testing the function over 5,000 full rotations, including a verification of the case’s seals every 1,000 rotations that ensures a water resistance to 30 metres.

The RM 63-02 Automatic Worldtimer is designed for a life of perpetual motion, orchestrated by high-precision mechanics embedded in the heart of the movement.

Entirely developed in-house at Richard Mille, the CRMA4 automatic calibre rests on a baseplate and bridges made of grade 5 titanium. On the dial side, a monumental bridge with black rhodium coating and circular brushing reveals the moving gears of the world-timer mechanism. This striking mise-en-scene enhances overall legibility and showcases the oversize date. Positioned at 12 o’clock, this function features two skeletonised titanium discs, adjusted using a gold pusher at 11 o’clock.

The openwork bridge also leaves open to view the titanium disk of the function selector, a distinctive feature that is signature Richard Mille. This complication allows the wearer, using a simple pusher at 4 o’clock, to easily switch among winding, setting and a neutral position, preventing any risk to the crown when manipulated.

The fast-rotating barrel ensures a continuous power reserve of 50hours, wound by a bidirectional rotor in 5N red gold and grade 5 titanium. The 20° pressure-angle of the involute gear-teeth profile applied to the entire going train optimises energy transmission to the variable-inertia balance wheel, thereby ensuring exceptional precision.

The extreme quality of the finishes, be it the polished anglage, drawn edges, micro-blasted bridges with PVD and electro-plasma treatments, or the circular-brushing of the wheels, all bear witness to the care that goes into every component of the CRMA4, reflecting the mechanism’s technical harmony.

The RM 63-02 Worldtimer is a piece in every way characteristic of Richard Mille, designed for frequent travellers who seek simplicity and innovation. The ingenious time-zone adjustment, combined with a movement that fully adheres to the grand tradition of Swiss watchmaking, delivers an experience as intuitive as it is refined: simplicity revealed in all its complexity.

Calibre CRMA4: In-house automatic winding movement with:

• Hours, minutes, seconds
  
• Function selector
  
• Oversize date
  
• Universal 24-hour time display

Movement diameter: 33.50 mm
Thickness: 7.73 mm
Jewels: 37
Barrel arbour: AP 20 steel
Balance: CuBe, 4 arms, 4 setting weights, moment of inertia 7.5 mg•cm², angle dof lift 50°
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Balance spring / spiral: AK 3
Shock protection: Incabloc 908.22.211.100 (transparent)
Escapement wheel jewels: Rubifix (transparent)



Power reserve: Around 50 hours (± 10%)

Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium
Microblasted grade 5 titanium with electroplasma treatment improves the rigidity of the entire assembly and provides precise surface flatness, which is essential for the perfect functioning of the gear train. The skeletonised baseplate and the bridges have been subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimise their resistance capacities.

Oversize date display
Semi-instantaneous, horizontally placed below 12 o’clock.

Multiple-time zone adjustment mechanism
The RM 63-02 features an innovative mechanism for adjusting the time zone. The rotating bezel includes a dedicated wheel connected to the movement, that acts directly on the hour wheel. Turning the bezel ensures quicker, more accurate time-setting.

Function selector
A push-button located at 4 o’clock allows one to select the neutral, winding and hand-setting functions with a simple push in a manner similar to a car’s gearbox. An aperture located at 4 o’clock shows the function selected: N (Neutral) - W (Winding) - H (Hand Setting).

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 also during movement assembly or disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time. The regulator index is eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable adjustment 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 significantly 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 through the movement, utilises a special profile for the teeth of the wheels. Developed specifically for the calibre CRMA4, the wheels employ a 20° pressure angle. This system equalizes any discrepancies that might arise between the centres of each wheel, for instance, during thermal changes and normal use, and promotes excellent torque transmission to the balance wheel, thus supporting excellent chronometric characteristics.

Special flat-head movement screws
Richard Mille has selected the best of modern micro-mechanical engineering in using of special flat-head screws for the calibre CRMA4. These unusual screws with their 6-holed heads are based on the snake-eye screw concept, principally used in the assembly of parts that require extremely precise torque to be applied.

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



Producing the RM 63-02 case is an extremely complex task, as almost 200 parts are required to create it.
The design and creation of the watch are both fruits of an overall conceptual approach applied to the case, dial and individual movement parts. Its four-part construction includes the rotating bezel that, in addition to being used to adjust the watch, plays a role in keeping the timepiece water resistant. The case mechanism is completed by lugs and screws to securely fix the strap. The case features exceptional hand finishing. The bezel, the caseback and the crown protector are polished and satin brushed.

The caseband has vertical satin brushing, while the lugs have vertical and horizontal satin-brushing and polished bevelled edges. The case is assembled with 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and is water-resistant to 30 metres, ensured by two Nitrile O-ring seals.

Dimensions: 47.00 x 13.85 mm

Crown: Made of grade 5 titanium, polished and microblasted, with O-ring seal and Alcryn^® collar.

Flanges: Upper and lower flanges in aluminium.

Dial: In sapphire (thickness: 0.40 mm) anti-glare treatment (both sides).

Crystal

• Bezel side: In sapphire (1,800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
  Thickness: 1.10 mm at the centre
  1.64 mm at outer edges
  
• Caseback: In sapphire with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
  Thickness: 1.00 mm at the centre and 1.74 mm at outer edges

Limited edition of 100 pieces in 5N red gold and titanium.



Movement

• Upper bridge microblasted, chamfered and polished by hand
  
• Microblasted milled section
  
• Microblasted sinks
  
• Grey electroplasma treatment for the baseplate and Titalyt^® for the bridges

Steel parts

• Satin-finished surfaces
  
• Hand-polished chamfered edges
  
• Hand-polished sinks
  
• Filed rims

Profile-turning

• Lapped and polished extremities
  
• Burnished pivots
  
• Polished post faces

Wheels

• Diamond-polished angles
  
• Circular-finished faces
  
• Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)