Richard Mille’s colorful new ceramics combine the style of the ’80s art world with the precise art of watchmaking.
Pastel blue, pastel pink and pastel lavender colorways.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD MILLE.
The segmented central dial plates of the color ceramic RM 07-01 feature inserts of ceramic.
Geometrically patterned rubber and, a first for Richard Mille, handcrafted “guillochage".
Geometrically patterned rubber and, a first for Richard Mille, handcrafted “guillochage".
Renowned watchmaker Richard Mille’s new line of RM 07-01 Automatic colored ceramics bring a pop of color right when we need it most. The “feminine icon of Richard Mille,” the RM 07-01’s distinctive silhouette and style are elevated by a range of extraordinary color options. The three stunningly colorful pieces have a Memphis-inspired art vibe, with the alternatingly cool and warm shades of lavender, blue, pink and orange evoking ’80s new wave nostalgia.
Microblasted grade-5 titanium makes up the baseplate and bridges, ensuring perfect rigidity, surface smoothness and ideal functionality of the gear train. Both the baseplate and the bridges undergo extensive separate validation tests, ensuring optimal strength requirements. The balance wheel is excitingly innovative, with variable inertia guaranteeing greater reliability during movement, shocks, assembly and disassembly, all leading to better timekeeping results over time
The watch’s casing is where Richard Mille’s conceptual vision for the RM 07-01 is most apparent. Composed of tetragonal zirconia polycrystal, a biocompatible ceramic tougher than sapphire and constituted of over 95% zirconia, the casing boasts impressive corrosion resistance and a hardness providing scratch resistance of 1,400 Vickers. The colorful geometric rubber appliques and ceramic inserts provide the pop of color that makes this release so exciting.
A first for the brand, the watches are decorated using guilloche—a decorative art that can take decades to master. Guilloche refers to etching individual repeating lines, cut by a hand-turned lathe, producing an intricate graphic design with minute detail, in keeping with the attention to detail in the watch’s other aspects. Originating in the 16th century, the process of guilloche is often done by machine in modern times. The RM 07-01’s guilloche is done by hand, resulting in a unique and masterful face. The process is painstaking, but the results are worth the time and effort.
How does the RM 07-01 prove that it’s more than just a pretty face? Featured details, like microblasted and hand-polished anglage, milled section and sinks, as well as satin-finished surfaces. The attention to aesthetics is palpable throughout the watch’s features, whether it be the meticulously crafted casing, the iconic and distinctive shape, or the statement-making new colors. Beauty, style and aesthetics are perfectly measured with the Swiss brand’s constant push for innovation in functionality in the RM 07-01, resulting in the season’s most fashion-forward collections.