A fusion of extreme engineering, futuristic design, and innovative, ultra-light materials inspired by the aerospace and Formula 1 industries, Richard Mille timepieces feature high-tech, often skeletonised movements, and are designed for extreme robustness and comfort, making them particularly popular with athletes. Mille has transformed how the world perceived skeleton watches, and has made them the highlight. These are not just exposed parts, but are fully structural constructions with bridges, baseplates, and gears.
Case and Dial
RM 35-03 Automatic Winding Rafael Nadal takes inspiration from RM 027 Tourbillon and has an ultra-light blue quartz TPT or white Quartz TPT case sized at 43.15mm. Now talking about the dial, its open-worked hands point towards a flange also made of microblasted grade 5 titanium is punctuated with the numerals 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, 9 o’clock, and 12 o’clock which slant inwards to create depth. The double barrel system contributes to torque stability, this is achieved by dispersing the stored energy across two winding barrels equalising torque and reducing friction on the bearings and pivots.
Working of the Rotor
The patented butterfly rotor is an ingenious mechanism allows the wearer to control the winding. It is the first time a Richard Mille watch has given the wearer interactive control over the winding system, turning energy management into a tactile experience. The butterfly rotor is made up of two weights in grade 5 titanium and metal. In their initial position, the weights cause a radial displacement of the center of gravity, generating the necessary torque to wind the barrel. Pressing the pusher at 7 o’clock (SPORT MODE), a gear train dedicated to the rotor deploys the two weights at 180°. The center of gravity is then brought back to the centre, bringing the rotor into balance, canceling its winding power and thus any excessive winding of the calibre. Then, there is an ON/OFF indicator located at 6 o’clock allows the wearer to see the status of the rotor, if it is activated or not.
A regulator index is a component on a watch that serves to adjust the timekeeping accuracy by changing the effective length of the balance spring. This small lever has pins that pass through the outermost coil of the hairspring, and by moving the lever, the length of the active spring is shortened or lengthened to speed up or slow down the watch. In this watch, Richard Mille has eliminated this component, and due to 4 small adjustable weights is located directly on the balance spring.
Movement
Inside, the RM 35-03 houses the RMAL2 calibre, an automatic skeletonised movement crafted from grade 5 titanium with a variable inertia balance wheel and a free-sprung balance spring for enhanced shock resistance and precision. The openworked architecture showcases the gear train, barrel, and rotor in a floating three-dimensional layout that appears to hover within the case, embodying the brand’s ethos of structural transparency. The movement offers a 55-hour power reserve.
