Richard Mille: RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph

A fixture of the Richard Mille collection since 2007, the RM 011 is taking its bows. Retiring at the height of its glory, it will make way for the new RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph.

The guiding principle for Richard Mille was to imbue the new automatic RMAC3 calibre with a
3-D quality and to bring its complexity to the fore visually. The glossy bevelled rims marked with intermediate times surrounding the coloured counters of the flyback chronograph and seconds window confer depth. This sense of volume is further accentuated by an upper bridge in satin-brushed grade 5 titanium that contrasts with the movement, also crafted of titanium but with a PVD coating. This creates a visual itinerary that sweeps around the annual calendar with its oversize date, as well as the 12-hour counter and countdown function of the yback chronograph.

The maze continues on the back of the calibre with a satin-brushed PVD-treated lower bridge that highlights the double barrel mechanism and the modern lines of our new variable-geometry rotor in grade 5 titanium, inspired by the aerodynamic appendages seen in Formula 1. This technical solution,
a Richard Mille exclusive, makes it possible to adjust automatic winding of the watch to the wearer’s activity level by varying the inertia of the rotor thanks to two microblasted and chamfered wings in 18K white gold. Offering six possible positions, the grade 5 satin-brushed and PVD-treated titanium rotor is mounted on ceramic ball bearings.

Details recalling automobile racing abound in the RM 11-03. The grade 5 titanium crown borrows
the design of competition wheel rims and tyre treads. The grooved pushers, machined of the same material recall the surface of pedals, have covers made of another material as ubiquitous as titanium in Formula 1: NTPT carbon. As always with Richard Mille, the entire mechanism can be admired through anti-re ective coated sapphire glass that reveals the calibre. The case, available in red or white gold and titanium, is held together by 20 grade 5 titanium spline screws.