Richard Mille RM 72-01 Lifestyle Chronograph

W I T H I N, At the heart of creativity

Every new creation is a world unto itself. A wholly new space born of a play between spirit and sensation. Singular yet timeless, innovative and performance-driven, the Richard Mille RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-House Chronograph is poised at the intersection between Haute Horlogerie, dance and music. Movement is all. Movement of time, of bodies, of notes.

The latest ‘face’ of Richard Mille—the ultimate metronome of emotion—is a work in which technicity serves and drives elegance. It’s also an in-house creation, featuring the first flyback chronograph entirely developed and designed by the brand. An achievement crowning no less than 30 months of full-time work on the part of a dedicated team.

The new RM 72-01 keeps time, three beats to a measure, a rhythm emphasising three numbers: three, eight and eleven. Three beats for the three counters that immediately capture every eye. The hands dance in stylised harmony within their three respective timescales (blue for seconds, orange for minutes, green for hours), orchestrated by a six-column wheel.

The transfers from minutes to hours have been isolated from the seconds wheel in this flyback chronograph which incorporates a double oscillating pinion mechanism developed and patented by Richard Mille. Richard Mille has submitted a patent application for its double-clutch chronograph. ‘This pinion, which can enmesh or withdraw from the gear teeth, has been twinned. There’s now one for the minutes and another for seconds. This system is thinner than a vertical clutch, which would be hard to fit into the heart of the movement,’ explains Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movements. As a result, the chronograph function has little impact on the power reserve. The Calibre CRMC1 thus remains quite slim, at just 6.05 mm thick, despite comprising 425 different components.

24-hours

Equipped with 24-hour and 60-minute counters positioned at 5 o’clock and 2 o’clock respectively, it proves that a chronograph need not be limited to timing only short periods. This mechanism was entirely imagined, manufactured and assembled in Les Breuleux, at the brand’s facilities. Its sublime precision can be viewed through its openwork caseback, a hallmark of the Richard Mille brand.

This model is available in four different combinations—5N red gold, titanium and black or white ceramic. It features an automatic winding movement, with a 50-hour power reserve irrespective of how much the chronograph is activated. It is a strikingly architectural watch offering true ease of use. Embodying pure mechanics and hand finishing, it is designed for everyday use.

It was evident that renowned artists such as choreographer Benjamin Millepied and composer Thomas Roussel would be needed to fully express in technical and artistic terms, the tremendous ambitions of this project. Like Richard Mille, both of these hybrid creators have built their oeuvre, W I T H I N, on a resolutely singular vision and an obsession with perfect timing and harmonious movement.