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His Dark Materials
Apr 03, 2010,07:13 AM
At the research part of Richard Mille in Les Breuleux I was shown the various materials that had been tested, and found that they were either to be not durable enough, or not light enough; sometimes a combination of both. A veritable smorgasbord of new materials were tried to form a case that was intended to be light enough so that it could not be noticed. The photos show a number of materials and even a past case. For the case and strap materials from racing yachts were tried, but again, too heavy. A lightweight kevlar-type material was the winner for the strap. For the glass, an anti-reflective perspex was used; there can be no crystal in such a watch as the crystal would probably weigh as much the watch itself. Even at this stage, with the watch announced to the watch world, Richard continues to ‘tinker’ with the composition of the case material.
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‘The Incredible Lightness of Being … Richard Mille’: the RM027.
By: 219 : April 3rd, 2010-07:12
The essence of the ‘Lightness of Being’ is that events are not repeatable. The mundane, the expected, the repetitive nature of life weighs you down; you become heavy. Just when you thought you had seen it all, just when you wondered where Richard Mille co...
First Contact
By: 219 : April 3rd, 2010-07:12
I first came into contact with the plans for the watch over a year ago. Richard was in London for some business with retailers, and I had the chance to talk to him. As the conversation moved from one topic to another, I asked him what was new. A glint in ...
His Dark Materials
By: 219 : April 3rd, 2010-07:13
At the research part of Richard Mille in Les Breuleux I was shown the various materials that had been tested, and found that they were either to be not durable enough, or not light enough; sometimes a combination of both. A veritable smorgasbord of new ma...
Lightness
By: 219 : April 3rd, 2010-07:14
Just about the whole movement is made from titanium aluminide. While the finish is the ‘industrial’ Richard Mille variety, it matches with the nature of the watch itself. The black back plate gives a stunning relief to the 3-dimensional aspect of the move...
Fantastic watch!
By: Allen : April 3rd, 2010-08:11
20 grams! I love it. I'll be watching tennis more closely now for sure! Thanks Andrew!
Awesomeness! I am loving light watches more and more...
By: ThomasM : April 3rd, 2010-09:45
Funny how 8 years ago I passed on a very rare Ti Sonnerie en Passant because it was too light! Very, very cool... Just one small niggling issue for me, though...it is a little too uncomfortably reminiscent of the Three Golden Bridges. Just a little... Tha...
Thanks for the kind words Thomas - more than
By: 219 : April 5th, 2010-12:55
3 bridges because of the way the movement is suspended from the top of the case and the lack of the base plate to pin the 3 bridges. Here the bridges/suspension are integral. Further, the 3 dimensional aspect of this movement is far more pronounced. Get t...
Literate and emotional
By: dxboon : April 3rd, 2010-09:50
Thanks for a great write-up, Andrew! Not everyone can reference Kundera, Neruda, Pullman, and the MacDougall theory all in one article... ...about a wristwatch. I sense that the RM027 is more than a watch for you, but is rather a tangible expression of th...
Daos - many thanks for the kind words and your own review..
By: 219 : April 5th, 2010-13:01
you should get to see the watch if you can. This is very much my philosophy for a sports watch and for the purpose it was intended. Richard is the expert exponent of this genre and he has pushed the frontier further than anyone. I admire his 'lets see if ...
Wouldn't a left handed version be better?
By: Talleyrand : April 4th, 2010-06:38
..since Rafa is left handed. Besides, With all the sweating involved, another type of case shape might be better. Having said this I find the watch absolutely beautiful. Take out the tourbillon, add a reasonable price and sell it as a limited edition and ...
RM does it again.
By: Davo : April 4th, 2010-21:26
What a piece of work! Not sure about that strap but everything else just says "yes!" to me. Thanks for sharing.
I love that strap!
By: micro : April 22nd, 2010-18:53
I hope they make it available for for other models
Cool concept....
By: DRMW : April 6th, 2010-11:26
Thanks for the photos and bringing the latest news from Richard Mille! It's great seeing creative, new, and innovative ways for technical solutions. I look forward in seeing the final project and how well it does in the hands of Nadel. -MW
You're understood!
By: Dje : April 6th, 2010-14:42
Andrew, This watch is indeed amazing! Once again I shall repeat my invitation for lunch. If Mr Mille is around in south Brittany I may invite him for some pancakes (but he must bring the watch of course). Cheers Dje
Elementary . . .
By: Dr No : April 6th, 2010-21:56
. . . in the purest sense. The watches that hold the greatest resonance for me are those that challenge physical limits. Antimagnetic designs - particularly the Milgauss, but also many others - hold a special fascination as magnetism is the most mysteriou...
Wow what an awesome watch
By: AnthonyTsai : April 7th, 2010-11:43
Kudos to Richard Mille on this RM027! So now we have a watch we can safely wear when we play tennis, golf, basketball, etc. Simply awesome! Cheers, Anthony
Yes, but would you do it with the
By: 219 : April 7th, 2010-14:45
price set where it is? I often wonder about this. I would opt for the positive - using the watch in the arena for which it has been designed, rather than leaving it in the safe. For the same reason that individuals (like Richard Mille and Dominique Guerna...
Thanks !
By: cisco : April 24th, 2010-03:07
Great review of this RM027. I didn't like all the recent novelties but this 027 is Richard Mille at his best. Architecture, lightness, modern in every kind of way and coherent like no other. Fantastic !
Flawless!
By: VMM : April 3rd, 2010-09:52
You already know what I think about it. Speechless. Thanks for the report. Great pics. Vte
Great report, Andrew!
By: Chris Agostino : April 3rd, 2010-10:43
What a wonderful watch. I've never been that into tennis but there is no doubt I'll be scanning the internet for photos of Nadal wearing this beauty. It is great to see Richard Mille pushing the boundaries once again. Quick question, does the strap use a ...
Thanks for sharing...
By: Rob : April 3rd, 2010-15:19
while no one can dispute the technical prowess of RM, I can only wish that they did away with Nadal's name in front. Still a great watch and another breakthrough for RM!! Thanks again for sharing...
Thanks for the report Andrew.
By: SJX : April 3rd, 2010-23:19
There is too much plastic in that watch. But admittedly it is cool - kudos to Richard. - SJX
Shock Resistance
By: greenecollector : April 4th, 2010-10:45
A beautiful watch and quite an achievement to get it to such a weight... Can you tell us about how is the shock reistance tested by the RM engineers? Thanks, John
wow amazing tech...
By: chris4 : April 7th, 2010-00:59
..not too sure on the looks of this watch...hands etc look a bit like a meccano set to me, better in some pics than in others, would love to hold one/try one on though and just feel it.Thanks for posting the report, fantastic news that RM is cracking on w...
Very impressive
By: ED209 : April 7th, 2010-17:41
Thanks Andrew for the cool pics of the RM027. Very impressive at under 20 grams including the strap, and to have Rafael Nadal wear it under real-world conditions during tennis matches. Imaging the g-forces just on the 129+ mph serves, and then continual s...
As always Andrew...
By: chris4 : April 9th, 2010-06:29
..indeed thankyou for this report & pictures, fantastic stuff. Looking forward to seeing some wrist shots of Mr Nadal playing tennis in one surfacing before too long hopefully
Incredible... and a question about "shock-proofing"
By: Vinontre : April 12th, 2010-19:02
Love this watch very much! It's an incredible watch at an incredible weight but at an incredible price... Does anyone know how "shock proof" the other watches in the RM line are? for example, how shock proof is the RM011? I know that it has the Incabloc p...
Thanks C - they have been testing the watch, both
By: 219 : April 13th, 2010-12:46
with the machines in the manufacture, and with it strapped to Nadal's wrist. They have tested up to 400G with no problems. As I said, its one thing to survive a one off shock, rather than repeated shocks (Nadal's wrist). The watch has survived both tests....
Maybe this will explain it...
By: greenecollector : April 26th, 2010-09:26
Nadal has played tennis left-handed since he was 11, but he uses his right hand to sign autographs, wave, play golf, turn on video games and react fast to most things that require a hand. “Watch,” he said to me in Spanish one afternoon this spring, noddin...
Very cool explanation... like it and many thanks for
By: 219 : April 26th, 2010-09:43
looking all this up. True about the two-handed back hand. The watch will be in for a punishing time whichever wrist it is on. Very cool find once again; and my thanks for posting it. Andrew H