Richard Mille 07-01 Coloured Ceramics: Combining 80s Design and Modern Technology

As the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees, many are bidding summer goodbye – but Richard Mille’s new 07-01 Coloured Ceramics models are not amongst them. Under the vibrant parasol of its ‘Endless Summer’ campaign, the brand is introducing three dreamy new pastel-coloured watches for women. The watches draw inspiration from 1980s style, primarily the correspondingly postmodern architecture movement ‘Memphis Design’, with its roots in Milan.

The case

For this colourful trio of 07-01 timepieces, Richard Mille opts for a lightweight TZP ceramic bezel. Coming in blush pink, lavender, or powder blue, these TZP ceramic bezels are not just a pretty face, but also extremely strong, lightweight, and able to maintain their colour over the years even with extensive wear. Meanwhile, the case bands (comprising the middle section of the case) are white-gold and sandblasted for a contemporary aesthetic. The watch case combines dimensions of 31.40 x 45.23 mm with a height of 11.85 mm.

The dial

Resilience is key

A hallmark of Richard Mille, the baseplate and bridges of the 07-01 Coloured Ceramics use micro-blasted electroplasma-treated Grade 5 titanium. This has two benefits: it gives greater rigidity to the mainplate and provides precise surface flatness, which is essential for ensuring the smooth functioning of the gear train. Both the skeletonised baseplate and bridges also undergo extensive tests before their release, in order to ensure that dial meets optimal strength requirements.

An artistic spin

The aesthetes amongst Richard Mille’s fanbase will no doubt appreciate the horology house’s nod to the post-modern Memphis Design movement. This comes in the form of juxtaposing colours and shapes. Highly contemporary, the 07-01 Coloured Ceramics‘s design provides a definitive contrast to traditional watchmaking designs, thus making it every bit a ‘Richard Mille’ in spirit.

On closer inspection, the shapes on the dial showcase the geometric guillochage technique, which comprises of repeated individually applied lines across a plain surface. This decorative technique requires hand-turned engine crafting and an extreme dexterity of expert hands. While adding a refined and modern touch, the guillochage adds an interplay between light and shadows across the grey PVD-treated red gold dial. Finally, coloured ceramic, laser-cut rubber appliqués and diamond-set elements add a glamorous touch to the playful watches.

The movement

While the 07-01 Coloured Ceramics offers only hours and minutes, it is nevertheless very much a high-tech movement. The CRMA2 is a skeletonised automatic winding movement with hours, minutes and variable-geometry rotor. Notably, it integrates a variable-inertia balance that maintains excellent long-term performance, as well as the aforementioned variable-geometry rotor in 5N red gold, which adapts the winding of the watch to the wearer’s activity. Alongside the integration of a full involute gear train and a fast-rotating barrel, the calibre CRMA2 lays focus upon performance and accuracy, while providing the RM 07-01 with a solid power reserve of approximately 50 hours.

Price and strap

Last but not least, the trio of Richard Mille 07-01 Coloured Ceramics timepieces come with sleek polished calfskin straps in an array of three contrasting colours. The price of all three watches is the same, at 179,000 Swiss francs (excl. VAT).

richardmille.com