RM 40-01
IN-HOUSE CALIBRE CRMT4
Automatic winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, variable-geometry rotor, oversize date, power reserve indicator and function selector.
Limited edition of 106 pieces
Based on the form of a teardrop, the most aerodynamically efficient shape found in nature, the Speedtail is the apotheosis of the streamlined hypercar, a three-seat grand tourer that became the third car in McLaren's Utimate line-up. This relentless pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency provided the starting point for the design of the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail.
It took Richard Mille's casing department an unprecedented 2,800 hours spread over 18 months to perfect the lines. Like the Speedtail, the watch’s lines mimics the form of a water droplet while bezel indentations evoke the bonnet openings, and pushers that recalled the air outlets behind the front wheels.
Due to the unprecedented complexity of the design, five prototypes were created before the optimum shape was achieved. The challenge lay in the fact that the case is significantly wider at 12 o'clock than at 6 o'clock, with a further taper between the titanium bezel and caseback, which are separated by a caseband made from Carbon TPT® and unequal length titanium pillars.
Despite the extraordinary anatomy of the case, the Richard Mille engineers created a horological 'engine' that seamlessly occupies all the available space and introduced a level of mechanical sophistication.
Grade 5 titanium has been used for key components such as the bridges, the baseplate and the rotor core. The CRMT4 calibre that drove the RM 40-01 introduces the first in-house development of a power reserve display as well as the oversize date and function selector complications. The entirely new movement architecture demanded a remarkable 8,600 hours of development, much of which went into finalizing the extreme level of detail.
The complexity of the components, the multitude of details and, above all, the attention applied to the finishing place the RM 40-01 firmly at the peak of Swiss-made watches. The rims, for example, are buff-polished and the progressive angles - among other elements - and the bevellings are gradual hand-polished. An often-forgotten detail, the finishing was applied not only to visible parts but also to parts that are hidden, such as the lower component surfaces. Some wheels are machined with a McLaren logo.
The platinum and red gold winding rotor are inspired by the Speedtail’s bonnet and the barrel-setting by its roof line. The gentle, downward curve that the mechanism follows from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock recalls the brushed metal divider between the car's cockpit and its bodywork, a demarcation McLaren was inspired to incorporate because of the design of previous Richard Mille watches, while the orange line running from the lower part of the movement and on to the strap mimics the vertical stoplight mounted in the Speedtail's rear screen.