Richard Mille Goes Rock 'n' Roll: The RM 66 Flying Tourbillon

Richard Mille is a champion of avant-garde design, using bright colors, unusual motifs, and eye-catching materials to create what many consider to be horological gems. The brand is now banging into the world of rock and roll in its newest ultramodern design, the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon. 

On the exterior, the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon references the brand’s other models with its multi-component tonneau-shaped silhouette. It is 42.7mm wide with a length of 49.94mm from lug to lug and sports a thickness of 16.15mm. Both the bezel and caseback are made from black Carbon TPT, which has a “damascene appearance” that makes the surface look almost oxidized. Between those front and back layers is a titanium caseband with 5N red gold polished inserts. Kept together with 20 titanium spline screws, the abrasion-resistant case is also water resistant to 50 meters.

In true Richard Mille fashion, the majority of the dial is skeletonized, with the open-worked design creating space for unique adornment. The centerpiece of the watch is a red gold skeleton hand with the index and pinky fingers raised, forming the iconic rock and roll “ devil horns” hand gesture in the center of the dial. Richard Mille delicately hides the movement components behind the hand sculpture, opting for subdued indices so as not to compete with the design. The watch also features an exhibition cashback, providing a complete view of the sculptural hand, which appears to almost grasp the movement on the reverse.

At the heart of the watch is the manually-wound RM66 caliber. The movement is specifically designed to hide behind the silhouette of the rose gold hand, making it necessary for the manufacture to optimize the space surrounding it. It also operates a flying tourbillon located at 12 o’clock that appears to float above the skeleton hand. The entire mechanism only occupies a 5.68mm thickness, a feature that is optimized for its design without sacrificing Richard Mille quality.

Production of the new Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon will be limited to 50 pieces, with official retail pricing for each example marked at $1,095,000.

To learn more, visit Richard Mille here.