RICHARD MILLE RM 50-02

ACJ TOURBILLON SPLIT SECONDS CHRONOGRAPH

The world of aviation has always played an integral and inspirational role for Richard Mille, in analogous fashion, by providing solutions for modern requirements, modern aircraft design is constantly undergoing evolutionary changes with regards to traditional methods of engineering and design.

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) is the Airbus unit that creates private and luxurious jets for extremely wealthy clients.

Richard Mile and ACJ joined together to realise the RM 50-02 Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph, the horological masterpiece that reflects the synergetic approach of the two brands for research and development.

ACJ’s Creative Design Studio and Richard Mille R&D office worked closely to draft the designs for the RM 50-02.

This new timepiece makes use of advanced, open worked design elements in the internal design of bridges and baseplate in grade 5 titanium, along with an extensive application of skeletonisation to every possible area, offering significant weight reduction.

The very distinctive and novel case shape in Titanium-Aluminum alloy (TiAl) with a secondary ceramic bezel was developed to mirror the outlines of an ACJ’s typical window shape with a clearly visible, multi-layered hull structure surround. This Titanium-Aluminum is the same alloy as that used in the Airbus for its jet turbine blades, which must function safely under the convergence of high temperatures and high fields of pressure.

The tourbillon RM 50-02 ACJ is a limited edition of 30 pieces, only available in the Richard Mille boutiques.

The retail price will be around 1 million US $.

MAIN TECHNICAL FEATURES

CALIBRE RM 50-02: Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, split-seconds chronograph with running seconds, 60-minute totaliser and power reserve, torque and function indicators.

POWER RESERVE: Circa 70 hours (±10%), displayed on a numeric scale near 11 o’clock.

SKELETONISED TITANIUM BASEPLATE: The baseplate has been finished in grade 5 titanium, a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and remarkably rigid alloy, which enables the gear train to function effortlessly. The alloy is 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This combination further increases its mechanical properties, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aeronautical and automobile industries. The baseplate of the calibre RM50-02 has been optimised to achieve an extreme weight/resistance ratio.

BRIDGES MADE IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM AND STAINLESS STEEL: The bridges of the calibre RM50-02 are made of grade 5 titanium. To give more depth to the calibre, some bridges are made of stainless steel and given a golden appearance by treatment with aircraft coatings.

SPLIT SECONDS MECHANISM WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE: One of the new characteristics developed for the split seconds tourbillon RM 50-02 is the virtually complete elimination of initial jumping in the chronograph seconds hand. Moreover, the development of a new generation of split seconds components meant that energy consumption of this function could be lowered by approximately 50%through the reduction of friction within the movement, and the elimination of the inertial jumping of the chronograph’s hands during stopping and starting. This was achieved by research focused on the working of the split seconds’ arms.

OPERATION: By depressing the pusher on the right at 4 o’clock, the user can stop the split seconds hand in order to read an intermediate time while the chronograph is engaged. Pressing the pusher again allows the split seconds hand to rejoin the chronograph, ready for the next measurement.