Richard Mille RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire
Richard Mille RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire
We enjoy sharp contrasts at Richard Mille, and the new RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire is a perfect example. Combining the architectural grandeur of gothic art with the mesmerising flow of water, this collection reveals a sculptural vista without precedent.
The piece was born of a new challenge the Brand set for itself: for the first time ever, we designed a movement imagined specifically for a sapphire case. This dramatically pellucid material further enhances the architecture of a calibre equipped with a ying tourbillon and a flying barrel. No dial impedes the mechanics, leaving them in full view for a sense of depth and airy lightness. Combining these features with the transparency of sapphire yields striking visual impact.
The RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire represents a marriage of restrained elegance and technical complexity, meticulously calibrated to elicit an emotional response.
Reflections
and architecture
Three distinct expressions of the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire exist. Two of these, produced in editions of 10 pieces each, are made of transparent coloured sapphire, while the third, crafted entirely of clear sapphire, is issued in an edition of 15.
These variations were inspired by the aquatic realm: the unique hue of each reference evokes a particular landscape or atmosphere. Fusing the purity of sapphire with uniquely undersea light effects, each model takes you on a unique voyage.
“Being able to use sapphire in multiple colours offered the opportunity to create multiple identities,” explains
Cécile Guenat, Director of Development and Creation. Water, a symbol of clarity and movement, provides the guiding light for exploring multiple facets of coloured sapphire.
The model in clear sapphire has a case recalling the surface of waves, while the sea-green rubber strap suggests the seabed and dreamy tropical beaches. The two other versions have coloured sapphire casebacks. One of these is a lilac pink shade reminiscent of a South Sea twilight; the other is a sapphire blue richly evoking the deep-sea realm.
Completing this colour palette, a meticulously worked crown combines a vivid rubber gasket with a domed cabochon of a precious stone such as white agate or intense pink opal. Crafted in red gold and set with diamonds, the mechanism is echoed in the flange that frames the movement on the case.
For Cécile Guenat’s team, every project begins with an inspirational scrapbook. In 2023, the aquatic realm and gothic art impressed themselves upon the Brand’s Director of Development and Creation as it came time to develop the future RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire collection.
A vision of combining these two realms then served as a North star guiding conception of the movement, casing and decorative elements.
“These inspirations provided us with path guiding our choices of colours and the style we wanted for these pieces,” shared
Cécile Guenat. “Our goal was to distil the essence of these influences to offer a contemporary interpretation.”
Blending the crystalline transparency of the oceans with the majesty of gothic architecture, Richard Mille transcribes these influences in striking similes. The absolute purity of the flawless sapphire case conjures the hypnotic shimmer of light on waves.
Within, the movement’s parts assemble like a cathedral, sculpted with the precision and arching energy of a ribbed vault to reveal a kinetic spectacle of cosmic genius. Behind its sapphire walls, the mechanism can be admired as through stained glass.
Each detail of the movement brings into focus this mechanical symphony humming with technical virtuosity and poetic elegance. The view at 9 o’clock on the upper case perfectly illustrates this. Sweeping arcs, omnipresent in this creation, translate fluidity and motion. The decorative elements, such as the cloud-shaped elements at the four corners of the ange, lend a timeless aura while also setting off the overall silhouette.
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The flange itself, daring in its proportions, evokes an architectural dome. Inspired by the ribbed vaults that have witnessed millennia and sustained artistic movements, this monumental frame in microblasted red gold rests on pillars of satin-polished titanium. Playing on vivid contrasts between solid and empty space, it imbues the heart of the calibre with light when darkness falls, thanks to touches of SuperLuminova.
The index markers are echoed in the lines of the barrel, reinforcing an overall sense of harmony and dramatically staging the calibre.
This contemporary interpretation of gothic style, paired with the transparency of sapphire, implies rays of light and dancing waves on the surface of water. Case and movement are in perfect dialogue, establishing a technical and aesthetic balance.
Sapphire, a matter of transparency
Flying Tourbillon Sapphire
The RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire embodies a balance of technical prowess and bold aesthetics with a movement combining a flying tourbillon and a flying barrel. Suspending these two elements creates an aethereal architecture specifically designed to perfectly mesh with a sapphire case.
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The calibre RM75-01 gives rise to a fascinating paradox: minimalist in terms of components and precision, it unveils striking complexity through its daring architecture. The titanium baseplate, practically metallic lacework, firmly holds the wheels with their involute-profile gear teeth, the tourbillon and the barrel. The absence of upper bridges to hold these elements is what makes them
‘flying’, accentuating the skeleton effect of the movement, while nonetheless ensuring resistance to any situation. This design choice banishes all excess, strengthening the visual rhythm. The bridges reveal ultra-precise craftsmanship that plays with volume and perspective, enhanced by pellucid sapphire and meticulously executed microblasted satin finishes. To contrast with the rhodium-treated wheels, the titanium baseplate in PVD treated in 5N gold, bringing a touch of warmth to the mechanics.
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“We weren’t spontaneously attracted to a two-colour treatment for the metallic components. But, when a movement is entirely crafted in 5N gold, you cannot properly distinguish its constituents. The creative team always begins by modelling the architecture before bringing out its depths using various materials and treatments.”Cécile Guenat,
creation and development director
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The highly openworked and minimalist baseplate adopts a multilevel design, forming a triangular structure that associates dynamic energy and aesthetic balance. Along the side, the minute bridge reveals subtle curves, visible through the caseband at 9 o’clock, while the delicately positioned wheels create an X motif that can be observed from the back, the model’s visual signature, as it were. Styled like a cathedral, the flange generates volume. Its triangular opening at 9 o’clock resembles a keyhole, drawing the gaze to peruse the calibre’s inner working.
The ultra-skeletonised movement of the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire is further enhanced by eschewing a dial, letting the intrinsic beauty and complexity of the movement take centre stage. Each part expresses a yearning quest for perfection. The openworked hands and the barrel – majestically ensconced like a rosace – all conspire to let light through the mechanical tracery.
As a reminder of how precious these pieces are, two gold cabochons cap the flying barrel, positioned at 12 o’clock, and the flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock. This meticulous work, partaking of both art and technical prowess, adds to the sculptural aspect of the watch. Each component was specially conceived to meet the requirements of this model, ensuring its perfect place within a sophisticated design.
Sapphire, a matter
of transparency
Observe, experience, understand
The transparency of sapphire reveals the entire structure of a movement, a striking feature that is especially satisfying in the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire collection. Being able to observe the calibre from every angle was one of Richard Mille’s first wishes when the Brand was created in 2001.
Such a movement can be admired from both front and back, making the slightest flaw unconscionable. The principle of visibility has been taken further than ever with the use of sapphire. This exceptional material offers a unique perspective, where it acts as a filter and lens, softening or intensifying colour, shape and the activity of the mechanism.The RM75-01 is an ode to transparency, offering an unimpeded view bathed in the subtle hues diffused through the caseback.
The main attraction of sapphire is its transparency. Its brilliance magnifies each detail of the Brand’s calibres, while subtly capturing light in cases entirely machined of this material. An immutable crystalline case that plays a functional, aesthetic and sensory role. The stone’s smooth, touchable surface exudes warmth and comfort when worn. This singular material, a result of specialised expertise, is preciousness and innovation incarnate.
A material engineered for precision
A pioneer in the use of sapphire for cases and components, Richard Mille constantly redefines the standard of excellence in haute horlogerie by exploring the technical and aesthetic limits of this exceptional material. Sapphire is widely used in watchmaking today, thirteen years ago, however, the Brand was the only one to fully grasp its potential for the complete machining of a case.
Despite the technical challenges of milling such a case – considered by all to be the most complex in today’s watchmaking world – Richard Mille succeeded, undertaking unprecedented research and development to do so.
As in the precision optics and electronics sectors, the Brand uses synthetic sapphire. While fully identical to natural sapphire in terms of chemical composition, physical properties and crystalline structure, lab-created sapphire makes possible gem-quality blocks of sufficient size to carve the three constituent parts of a Richard Mille case: bezel, caseband and caseback.
Working with Swiss-based partner Stettler AG, the Brand relies on the Kyropoulos process. The raw material, aluminium oxide, is heated to between 2,000 and 2,050 °C in a controlled atmosphere. A small sapphire crystal acts as a seed around which the synthetic crystal slowly grows. This process can take several weeks.
Richard Mille’s uses of synthetic sapphire are unprecedented for several reasons. Firstly, the curved and complex shapes of the Brand’s cases required the design of new and particularly delicate approaches to machining and finishing. Sapphire’s chemical composition gives it an exceptional hardness of 9 on the mineral hardness scale (Mohs) or 2,000 Vickers, just behind diamond, the scale’s leader. Thanks to its extraordinary properties, sapphire is impact- and scratch-resistant. But due to its extreme rigidity, sapphire can tolerate only microns of variance during cutting and assembly.
What’s more, it takes over 1,000 hours of work to transform a sapphire block weighing several tens of kilos into a single tripartite case. This includes 40 days of grinding around the clock, a third of which time is devoted to polishing. The challenges of machining such a case, with its curves and pillars, make it a technical triumph.
The creation of coloured sapphire cases came later. Producing coloured rather than transparent sapphire makes the process even more complex and delicate, as the metal oxides that colour the crystal lattice must be incorporated with precise timing.
The inclusion of metal oxides within the crystal structure is what gives a sapphire its colour. Synthesising and producing a new sapphire colour is always a challenge. The mixture is very sensitive to both heat and to the speed of growth. Failing to respect the temperature conditions can affect the way the oxides diffuse into the crystal lattice, yielding uneven colour distribution, or result in unwanted hues.
Likewise, growing too quickly can lead to uneven colouring and to the formation of bubbles in the crystal. Reproducing the exact same colour in different blocks is a major challenge, due to the impact of minute variations in growth conditions or in the purity of the ingredients.
Since the first clear sapphire case was released in 2012, the Brand has continued to develop new, ever more vibrant colours. With these latest references in the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire collection, Richard Mille has gone above and beyond technical virtuosity to offer a veritable aesthetic reinterpretation of sapphire and, as always, assert a bold vision for contemporary watchmaking.
This extra-flat rhodium-plated barrel has an extremely fine-gauge spring. Its flying architecture reduces the total height and weight of the whole calibre.
Minute bridge
It reveals subtle curves to create an X motif, visible through the caseband at 9 o’clock.
Flying Tourbillon
The distinctive feature of this complication is that its cage is assembled without an upper bridge, creating the impression of weightlessness, and offering perfect visibility.
5N-treated titanium baseplate
The highly openworked grade 5 titanium baseplate adopts a multilevel design, forming a triangular structure. The PVD treated in 5N gold brings a touch of warmth to the mechanics.
Flange
Styled like a cathedral, the 5N red glod flange generates volume.
Cases in transparent and coloured sapphire
The creation of coloured sapphire crystals, very sensitive to the heating process and crystal growth rate, requires the precise incorporation of metal oxides into the sapphire crystal.
Calibre RM75-01: mouvement tourbillon volant à remontage manuel avec heures et minutes
Power reserve: around 65 hours (+/-10%)
Movement dimensions: 29.71 x 20.78 mm
Thickness: 5.45 mm
Jewels: 18
Balance: CuBe, 4 arms, 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 7.5 mg•cm², angle of lift 50°
Frequency: 21,600vvph (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Elinvar by Nivarox
®Shock protection<: KIF Elastor KE 160 B28
Barel shaft: Nickel-free Chronifer
® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: Stainless – Antimagnetic – Suitable for tempering.
Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium These components are manufactured in grade 5 titanium, 5N gold and grey PVD treated. Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and remarkably rigid alloy, which enables the gear train to function effortlessly. The alloy is 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium.
This combination further increases its mechanical properties, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aeronautics and automobile industries. As a consequence, the whole assembly is extremely rigid, with precise surface flatness, an essential for the perfect functioning of the gear train. The skeletonised baseplate and bridges were subjected to separate and extensive validation tests to ensure they met rigorous strength requirements.
Flying tourbillon with variable-inertia balancePositioned at 6 o’clock, the flying tourbillon is a complex regulating mechanism. The distinctive feature of the so-called
tourbillon is that its cage is assembled without an upper bridge, creating the impression of weightlessness and offering perfect visibility.
The free-sprung balance offers better reliability in the event of shocks or movement assembly and disassembly,
and also guarantees better chronometric results over an extended period of time. The regulator index is eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible thanks to 4 small, adjustable screws located directly on the balance.
Fast-rotating flying barrel(5.2 hours per revolution)
The fast-rotating flying barrel used in the RM 75-01 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.
Barrel pawl with progressive recoil
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (around 20%), especially during the start of winding. It is also helpful in ensuring even distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension.
Winding-barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion with central involute profile
The central involute profile of the winding-barrel teeth and pinion provides an optimal pressure angle of 20°. This promotes effective rotary motion and compensates for possible variations in the engagement of the going train, thus ensuring excellent torque transmission with a distinct improvement in performance.
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 unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
Movement
- Anglage and polishing by hand
- Hand-polished locking sections
- Sapphire-blasted milled sections
- Lapped and polished contact points
- Burnished pivots
Steel parts
- Sapphire-blasted surfaces
- Anglage and polishing by hand
- Burnished sections
- Satin-finished surfaces
Wheels
- Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
- Circular-finished faces
- Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
- Minimal corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance
Dimensions: 32.90 x 46.75 x 14.35 mm
Upper flange: 5N red gold with polished and microblasted steel markers. Index points filled with approved luminous material.
Crystal
- Bezel side: Sapphire (1,800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
Thickness: 2.30 mm
- Caseback side: Sapphire with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
Thickness: 2.30 mm
Variation
- Clear sapphire (15 pieces)
- Clear sapphire upper bezel, caseband and lilac sapphire lower bezel (10 pieces)
- Clear sapphire upper bezel, caseband and blue sapphire lower bezel (10 pieces)
The entire case of the RM 75-01—bezel, caseband and caseback—is cut and milled from solid blocks of sapphire. No external structures are used to support the assembled parts. Sapphire is known as a particularly scratch- resistant material with a hardness of 2,000 Vickers. Made of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) crystals, it is transparent thanks to its molecular composition.
The creation of coloured sapphire crystals requires precise incorporation of metal oxides into the sapphire crystal. The colour is determined by the types and quantities of oxides present within the crystal structure. Coloured sapphire is very sensitive to the heating process and crystal growth rate: if the right temperature conditions are not respected, it can affect the way oxides diffuse into the crystal lattice and lead to the uneven distribution of colours or undesired hues. Similarly, too fast a growth rate can lead to uneven colour and the generation of bubbles within the crystal.
The machining of such components was another challenge faced by Richard Mille, one made all the more difficult as the sapphire machining process is exceptionally delicate. Although extremely tough, sapphire does not allow for even the slightest error during milling and cutting. Creating a case of this quality takes over 1,000 hours of machining, of which 430 hours are spent on preforming the case components and 350 hours on polishing the whole watch case. To ensure optimal optical properties, the front and back bezels have been treated with an anti- glare coating.
The tripartite case is water resistant to 30 metres, ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals. The case is assembled using 24 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.
RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire
