IN LIVING COLOUR
Richard Mille injects new energy into its RM 07-01 collection for women with three limited-edition models in pastel ceramic with graphic dial elements
Richard Mille may be best known for its bold and masculine racing-inspired watches, but the Swiss brand has also become a fast favourite among women thanks to the iconic RM 07- 01. The ultrafeminine timepiece combines the very highest levels of mechanical watchmaking, movement engineering and decorative finishing. And now, just at the peak of summer, it’s available in three new limited-edition models in technically advanced ceramic with radiant multi-material guilloché dials.
The RM 07- 01 Coloured Ceramics collection comprises the RM 07- 01 Pastel Blue with olive-aqua rubber strap, RM 07- 01 Pastel Pink with cerulean- lilac rubber strap and RM 07- 01 Pastel Lavender with coral-tangerine rubber strap – each limited to 50 pieces. “I was inspired by the Art Deco architecture you see in Miami, these pastel colours and bold patterns that are so distinctive and convey such an amazing vibe and attitude,” says Cécile Guenat, Richard Mille’s director of creation and development, of the sunny hues and original texture selections.
The playful use of colour is anchored by the exceptional performance of the RM 07- 01’s case material. TZP ceramic is light, hypoallergenic, durable and virtually scratchproof due to its zirconium oxide composition and sintering manufacture process. Equally high-performance is the automatic in-house calibre CRMA2, made of micro-blasted and electroplasma-treated titanium and capturing its power from a 5N red gold variable-geometry rotor that maintains the watch optimally wound at all times.
But what makes the RM 07- 01 Coloured Ceramics collection truly distinctive is the use of hand-crafted guillochage on the segmented central dial plates, a first for Richard Mille. A decorative craft that has its origins in the 16th century, guillochage can take decades for artisans to master. Dial guillochage typically consists of individual repeating lines, cut by a hand-turned lathe, that intersect and overlap to create a graphic motif.
In typical Richard Mille style, Guenat took the time- honoured technique and gave it a fresh and creative twist. The rhodium-plated red- gold dial element at the center of each RM 07- 01 is a segment of a larger pattern that combines botanical, sunburst and Art Deco elements. Their lines subtly align with the floating hour markers on the microblasted titanium flange, while surrounding the guilloché dial segment are geometrically shaped elements of ceramic and rubber in perfect complement with the ceramic case and bi- colour rubber straps.
With its unique design details and technical innovations, the RM 07- 01 Coloured Ceramics collection proves there’s still much to be explored and excited about when it comes to the undisputed feminine icon’s no-compromise approach to aesthetics and performance.