EXALTING PERFORMANCE
After 8,600 hours of development to create this timepiece, the Swiss brand and British motor manufacturer breathe life into a model boasting high design and cutting-edge watchmaking techniques.
For the third partnership between Richard Mille and McLaren, the pair imagined a timepiece together that is outstanding in every way. The case of the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail, totally designed on the drawing board, took some 2,800 hours of work alone. This case stands out with an extraordinary stretched profile which is somewhat reminiscent of the racer bearing the same name. Like a droplet of water, with a finer, narrower base, it slowly but surely becomes thicker and more sizeable. As in all the brand’s latest creations, Carbon TPT® and titanium reign supreme.
A first-of-firsts for Richard Mille, as inside this case, the CRMT4 caliber drives the in-house tourbillon, oversized date and function selector. For wearer-friendliness, the date is adjusted via a pusher set at 8 o’clock. Another pusher, placed at 4 o’clock, is used, like a gearbox, to choose the mode W for wind, N for neutral and H for hour/time setting. Both pushers conjure up the air outlets behind the front wheels of the car. A host of other elements are inspired by the McLaren design. The bezel’s indentations evoke the lateral openings of the bonnet. The orange stripe extending the lower part of the movement and pursuing its route on the strap echoes the integrated vertical stoplight in the Speedtail’s rear windscreen.
Like the 106 hypercars assembled by the British manufacturer, this timepiece is rolled out in exactly the same number.
Price: on request richardmille.com
By Dan Diaconu