On the occasion of the classic car event Le Mans Classic, Richard Mille presents the RM 029 Automatic Le Mans Classic, a limited special edition. The event was co-founded by the Manufacture and takes place every two years near Le Mans in France. The watch celebrates the return of the event in 2022, and accordingly features a green and white case – the colours of the event. However, the watch also offers several other references to racing and impressive mechanics under the hood.
Le Mans Classic usually takes place every second year in July on the site of the famous 24 heures du Mans race. At the event, which was co-founded by Richard Mille, drivers from all over the world compete with classic racing cars. The cars must be at least 40 years old. Since the first edition in 2002, Richard Mille has already presented seven special models dedicated to the event. The RM 029 Le Mans Classic is the eighth watch that celebrates the sport of racing.
The Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic comes in a three-piece 40.10 x 48.15 x 13.10 mm case. The white middle section consists of a solid block of white Quartz TPT. This material is composed of hundreds of layers of interwoven quartz fibres, which are heated to develop their unique pattern. The front and back bezel are meanwhile made of green Quartz TPT fixed to the middle section with screws. Two white stripes are embedded on the top – a tribute to the colours of the racing event.
The dial is, in fact, just a sapphire glass pane that allows a view of the mechanics. On it are the skeletonised hands with green tips that tell the time along with the Arabic numerals. Surrounding the dial is a green ring with fluorescent dot indices. Furthermore, there is a large date at 4 o’clock. The 24-hour display at 2 o’clock has a blue dot at 4 o’clock. This is the time at which the race starts. At 7 o’clock, the Manufacture has placed another reference to the event. The Le Mans Classic logo with the green and white chequered flag adorns the front.
The RMAS7 calibre powers the watch. The automatic winding system supplies two barrels with energy. Together, they provide a power reserve of approximately 55 hours. Meanwhile, the variable geometry rotor allows the winding speed to be adjusted to the wearer’s level of activity. Elsewhere, the free-sprung screw balance ensures reliability. The latter operates at a typical frequency of 4 hertz.
The Richard Mille RM 029 Automatic Le Mans Classic comes on a white, ventilated rubber strap. As a special edition, the manufacture will only produce 150 pieces. The price is 155,000 Swiss francs.
