Richard Mille’s New Tourbillon and Automatic


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You may want to head back to school for a Ph.D in material science before reading any further. Describing his new Aerodyne Tourbillon, Richard Mille says “Orthorhombic titanium aluminides are new group of alloys, developed from the main class of titanium aluminides, which possess a specific crystalline molecular structure ordered on the orthorhombic phase of Ti2AlNb. Its use within a honeycombed geometrical pattern was originally the subject of research by NASA for application as a core material of supersonic aircraft wings, where resistance to extremely high temperatures and torsion is paramount…”

Mille continues “The alloy in this honeycombed form has unparalleled stiffness, a low thermal expansion coefficient and exceptional torsion resistance. The actual shape of the baseplate itself as seen from the dial side resembles the trench-like V-shaped profile of a flying wing aircraft where the wing tips are positioned higher than the central body of the aircraft itself. The winding barrel and the tourbillon are both placed in the central depth of this aerodynamic structure, balancing on light and airy bridges with four arms on two sides.” It sounds as though Mille has graduated from building F1 cars for the wrist to building supersonic aircraft for the wrist.

Richard Mille is also introducing the RM 023 Automatic, pictured below (click to enlarge). The RM023 measures 45 x 37.8 x 11.45mm, placing it between the RM007 and the RM010. Mille says this watch is designed for both men and women. The winding rotor offers variable geometry and it can be set to the owner’s activity level before it leaves the manufacture. The weight segment along the rotor’s outer edge is milled (no pun intended) from a special tungsten/cobalt alloy, and the rotor’s ball bearings are created from synthetic ceramics. The double barrel system lowers wear and tear on the movement and evens out variations in the flow of power to the movement, improving timekeeping. The movement is isolated from the case (and so from shocks to the case) via chassis mounting rubbers. The balance wheel has Incabloc protection top and bottom. If your Aerodyne creates a sonic boom while in the box next to your RM 023, it sounds like the 023 will be able to handle the shock.

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