With the RM 07-01 Racing Red, Richard Mille celebrates their eponymous racing team, which competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship in April 2021. The trio of female drivers of the Richard Mille Racing Team drive a fiery red Oreca Gibson there, which was the inspiration for the RM 07-01 Racing Red, a timepiece limited to 50 pieces. The watch is housed in a Quartz TPT case, which gives it its unique finish. Meanwhile, the CRMA2 calibre works inside, showcasing the brand’s technical finesse.
The Richard Mille Racing Team consists of the female trio around Beitske Visser, Sophia Flörsch and Tatiana Calderón and is now embarking on its second racing season. The team will debut the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. There, the three drivers will pilot the flame-red Oreca-Gibson, which the team calls “Roxy”. This car will not only proudly wear the No. 1, but was also the inspiration for the RM 07-01 Racing Red.
Richard Mille celebrates their team with a variant of the RM 07-01 from the brand’s women’s collection. The new model is called Racing Red, which refers to the fiery red colour of the car driven by the Richard Mille Racing Team. In keeping with this, the manufacture has also given the watch a similar coat of paint, which is created here, however, through the use of the in-house Red Quartz TPT.
The case of the Richard Mille RM 07-01 Racing Red measures 45.66 x 31.40 x 11.85 mm and consists of three parts held together by 12 titanium spline screws. The use of Red Quartz TPT is exceptional. The high-tech material consists of parallel filaments that are created from the separation of silicon dioxide threads. These are soaked in a red synthetic resin and then woven together. In an autoclave (an oven under pressure), the material is heated to 120° at a pressure of 6 bar and can then be processed. Through this process, the Quartz TPT layers appear at random, making each watch unique.
Quartz TPT is used for the front and back bezels. The middle section of the case, however, is made of Carbon TPT. On the back, in addition to the brand-typical designation of the materials used, there is also a window that allows a clear view of the mechanics inside. By using two Nitrile O-ring seals, the RM 07-01 Racing Red also achieves a water resistance of 5 bar or 50 metres.
The dial consists of a skeletonised titanium plate that reveals the mechanics lying beneath. The centre of the dial presents the red Quartz TPT. A frame of Carbon TPT in turn surrounds the red material, reflecting the construction of the case. The edge of the dial features a minute track and teardrop-shaped indices, which, like the two hands, are luminescent.
The in-house CRMA2 movement inside the RM 07-01 sits on a skeletonised titanium baseplate. Both the bridges and the plate are fine-blasted and treated with electroplasma to achieve stability and absolutely even surfaces. In addition, the Manufacture incorporates its fast-rotating barrel, which needs 5 hours per rotation instead of 7.5 hours. Together with the rotor made of 5N red gold, the watch delivers a power reserve of 50 hours. The rotor also features Richard Milles’ variable geometry, so that the position of the oscillating weight can be varied. This allows a watchmaker to adjust the winding speed to the wearer’s activity level.
The free-sprung balance carries four small weights for more precise regulation. It also beats at a frequency of 4 hertz and has an Incabloc shock absorber. In addition, Richard Mille designs the entire gear train in such a way that the optimal pressure angle of 20° is maintained for the gearing of the wheels. This makes it easier to compensate for deviations in the distance between the bearings. Last but not least, the watchmakers refine large parts of the movement, achieving smooth surfaces with polished anglings.
The Richard Mille RM 07-01 Racing Red comes on an integrated red strap that also features Quartz TPT. The watch is limited to 50 pieces and is available at a price of 98,000 Swiss francs excluding VAT.
