Perfecting a challenge
Richard Mille introduces the RM07-01, a dazzling black ceramic timepiece set with diamonds.
AT the Salon Internationale Haute Horlogorie held in Geneva recently, there were several innovative and bejewelled timepieces on display.
Amidst all the presentations of timepieces from various manufactures, several stood out. One of them was the Richard Mille RM07-01 in gem-set black ceramic for ladies.
Designed for the multifaceted woman
While Richard Mille is known more for timepieces for men, the ones for the ladies are equally stunning.
There have been several beautiful timepieces from the ladies collection, where high complications and gemstones are put together to dazzling effect.
A wide range of styles and material are found in the timepieces, ranging from high-end jewellery tourbillons to furturistic Carbon TPT.
Apart from technicalities and jewelled pieces, comfort is always a key factor, and the timepieces being as light as possible. What’s also interesting is that there are always two different sizes for ladies, so you have the option of bigger timepieces.
Setting a standard
Diamonds on a timepiece aren’t anything new, but when placed on a ceramic timepiece as seen on the RM07-01, it becomes something different. This is something new as the diamonds are set on the ceramic.
Putting diamonds on ceramic is not easy, as ceramic is an extremely hard material. Small holes are drilled into the ceramic, and red gold prongs of 0.25mm in diameter hold the diamonds in place. The diamonds are also full-cut stones. The dial is red gold and set with diamonds and a black onyx.
The black TZP ceramic, which is scratch-resistant, has an extremely fine grain which has a perfect finishing with a matte effect. This comes from a long and delicate process of milling and micro-shot peening. In order to show the complex shapes of the bezel and case bottom, a finisher has to polish each angle by hand.
Cecile Guenat, the technical director for jewellery-making at Richard Mille, explains: “After our work on setting gems in Carbon TPT, we wanted to extend this innovative setting technique to new materials. We naturally gravitated to ceramic, because it had never been done before. There is now no subterfuge in the way diamonds are incorporated, thanks to the way the mitraillage is performed by machining the material directly.”
The case has an in-house Calibre CRMA2, which is an automatic movement assembled on a baseplate and bridges crafted in grade 5 titanium.
It has a variable-geometry roto in 18-carat 5N red gold that allows it to adjust the automatic winding to match the activity levels of the wearer. The dial is in 5N red gold and set with black onyx and diamonds.
The skeletonised movement has a power reserve of 50 hours.
The curves of the tonneau shaped case design and the diamonds and black rubber strap make for a striking, beautiful and elegant watch that moves easily from day to night.