Everything You Need To Know About Richard Mille’s New RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire Watches
Richard Mille’s watchmaking prowess is in full view with cases carved from sapphire crystal and a specifically designed gothic movement.
By Brandon Chia - published
A beauty both inside and out, Richard Mille’s newest watch model is a clear masterpiece, literally. The RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire is the manufacture’s ode to transparency, offering the wearer an uncompromised view of every single, perfect detail expected from the brand.
Inspired by water, the RM 75-01 crystalline case captures and reflects light with a dreamy quality reminiscent of sunlight shining below the sea’s surface. Transforming the crystal into a single tripartite case—bezel, caseband and caseback—from one hefty block takes over 1,000 hours of grinding and polishing.
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While sapphire is renowned for its extreme scratch-resistance, its rigidity poses a challenge for the workshop, as machining the complex case requires utmost precision—especially to achieve the curves and pillars that watch enthusiasts adore from the brand’s timepieces.
Another benefit of using sapphire is the ability to play with hues. “Being able to use sapphire in multiple colours offered the opportunity to create multiple identities,” explains Cécile Guenat, director of development and creation.
The RM 75-01 is available in three models. The first, fitted with a sea-green rubber strap, is completely made of clear sapphire. The other two models feature coloured sapphire casebacks in lilac pink and a rich blue, which gives the whole case a tinge of colour.
The soft and playful colour palette of the collection is complemented by a crown that combines a matching rubber gasket with a domed cabochon in either white agate or pink opal.
The movement of this watch is just as marvellous. In fact, Richard Mille specifically designed this calibre to be housed within a sapphire case—a first for the brand. The vision was simple: to combine the aquatic nature of the sapphire with a gothic art movement.
This led the in-house teams to create a skeletonised movement with parts that assemble like a cathedral. Perfectly sculpted bridges in red gold criss-cross with one another, creating pockets of space like windows that allow the gears and wheels to be visible when peering through the back of the watch.
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Of course, the team also flexed its technical prowess by balancing a flying tourbillon and a flying barrel free of upper bridges to hold them in place—a technical feat few manufactures have mastery of.
The RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire collection results from tireless research and development, ultimately culminating in timepieces that exude a sense of majesty while championing innovation at its finest.