The new RM 66 Flying Tourbillon is most certainly one of the most extravagant watches of the collection, flashing for all to see the ‘horns’ hand sign that has symbolised a generation, a school of thought, a state of mind. All those who, like the brand itself, seek to challenge any limitation will see themselves in the originality of the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon.
- Inspired by the world of rock music
- Flying Tourbillon at 12 o’clock
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
The eye is first drawn to the openwork hand in 5N red gold that holds the movement in its fingers. And because Richard Mille obeys no stylistic rules but its own, the hand that appears on this creation is seen as through an X-ray – a nod to the RM 052 Tourbillon Skull whose identity was firmly anchored in the memento mori, a reminder, via the symbolism of the skull, of how important it is to live each moment to the fullest. Similarly, the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon brilliantly calls to mind the disruptive spirit of the Sixties and that of rock’n’roll, currents that exalted a life lived off the beaten track as never before.
The horns gesture is represented by outstretched index and little fingers, whilst the last phalange of the thumb holding the middle and ring fingers are visible from the back of the watch. For this model, conceived by the Creative and Development Director Cécile Guenat, the five digits of the hand were first milled, then transferred to the master engraver to be perfected by hand. The task of craftmanship was entrusted to Genevan engraver Olivier Vaucher. The protracted and meticulous work of deburring and polishing brings out the contours of the bones and highlights the delicate joints with their micro-blasted finish.
The architecture of the RM66 manual winding calibre showcases a fast-winding barrel providing a 72-hour power reserve positioned at 6 o’clock and the tourbillon at 12 o’clock – a first for the brand. To ensure the greatest possible transparency, the grade 5 titanium movement, whose lines follow those of the hand, is highly skeletonised. This is possible thanks to a complex mechanical solution rarely employed by Richard Mille to enhance the skeletonisation, a flying tourbillon with variable inertia. The tourbillon cage is fixed at only one end of its axis, eliminating the upper bridge so as to visually accentuate the ethereal qualities of the calibre. This wager is nonetheless extremely perilous, given that the brand’s shock-resistance tests are amongst the most stringent in watchmaking. This atypical arrangement, with the movement flipped by 180°, offers pride of place to the tourbillon’s balletic play.
Bringing the world of rock’n’roll to life within the RM 66 Flying Tourbillon called for quite a bit of technical ingenuity — 1,500 hours of Research & Development and 9 months of work for the casing team, in fact. The index points, for instance, are shaped like a guitar plectrum, extended by a lancet arch in titanium. These parts must first be polished — despite the challenges of this task when using titanium – in order to achieve perfect microblasting. Each index is then affixed by screws to the titanium bezel. It goes without saying that polishing the bevelled edges of the latter prior to their black galvanic treatment is also an extremely delicate operation.
The extreme attention to detail is further revealed in the grade 5 titanium crown in the shape of a spider whose gothic-inspired segments embrace a ruby and its circular black rubber gasket. Assembly of this mechanism was quite a challenge. The engraved skullcap offers an additional nod to the RM 052 Tourbillon Skull. The torque-limiting crown means it automatically disengages when the tension of the barrel is optimal, eliminating any risk of over-winding. ‘Between its development and finalization, we spent more than 200 hours on this piece, in addition to the 12 hours required to machine and finish a single crown. Polishing titanium is much more difficult than polishing gold or steel. Not only that, but the polishing also made it difficult to hold the crown without slippage, so we had to use special fixtures to fix the piece from the inside. The creation of this crown thus involves a subtle alchemy,’ explains Julien Boillat, Technical Director for Cases.
The case plays on the contrast between the apparent roughness of Carbon TPT® and the precious sheen of gold. On the grade 5 titanium caseband with satin-finished pillars and polished bevels, 5N red gold plates are inserted. These plates feature a ‘clou de Paris’ pattern, ground down after machining, then hand-polished to restore the sharp edges characteristic of punk belts.
Issued in a limited edition of 50 watches, the Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon is an electrifying and dynamic timepiece right down to its finest details, fascinating for its irreverent spirit and a faithful reflection of the brand.
Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon Technical Specifications
Limited edition of 50 pieces
Calibre RM66: Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours and minutes.
Case dimensions: 42.70 x 49.94 x 16.15 mm
Main features
Power reserve
Around 72 hours (±10%)
Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium
Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and remarkably rigid alloy, which enables the gear train to function effortlessly. The alloy is 90% titanium, 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium.
This combination further increases the material’s mechanical properties, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aeronautics and automobile industries.
The baseplate, and bridges have been subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimise its resistance capacities.
Flying tourbillon with variable-inertia balance
Positioned at 12 o’clock, the flying tourbillon is a complex regulating mechanism. The distinctive feature of the so-called ‘flying’ tourbillon is that its cage is assembled without an upper bridge, creating the impression of weightlessness, and offering perfect visibility.
The free-sprung balance offers better reliability in the event of shocks or movement assembly and disassembly, and also guarantees better chronometric results over an extended period of time. The regulator index is eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible thanks to 4 small, adjustable screws located directly on the balance.
Fast-rotating barrel (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours) This type of barrel provides the following advantages:
- The phenomenon of periodic internal mainspring adhesion is significantly diminished, thereby increasing performance.
- Provision of an excellent mainspring delta curve with an ideal power reserve/performance and regularity ratio.
Barrel pawl with progressive recoil
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (around 20%), especially during the start of winding. It is also helpful in the even distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension.
Winding-barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion with central involute profile
The central involute profile of the winding-barrel teeth and pinion provides an optimal pressure angle of 20°. This promotes effective rotary motion and compensates for possible variations in the engagement of the going train, thus ensuring excellent torque transmission with a distinct improvement in performance.
Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
Other features
- Movement dimensions: 32.50 x 30.30 mm
- Thickness: 5.68 mm
- Tourbillon diameter: 10.90 mm
- Balance wheel diameter: 9.12 mm
- Jewels: 17
- Balance wheel: Glucydur®, 2 arms, 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 11.50 mg•cm2, angle of lift 53° – Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
- Shock protection: KIF ELASTOR KE 160 B28
- Barrel shaft: in nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: stainless – antimagnetic – suitable for tempering
Case
This tripartite tonneau-shaped case is fully curved, which enables the watch to be ergonomic and comfortable, it is very complex to produce and requires a high level of quality control.
The bezel and caseback are machined from Carbon TPT®, an exclusive material with a unique damascene appearance. Carbon TPT® is composed of multiple layers of parallel filaments obtained by dividing carbon fibres. These layers, with a maximum thickness of 30 microns, are impregnated with matrix then woven on a special machine that modifies the direction of the weft by 45° between layers. Heated to 120°C at a pressure of 6 bars, the Carbon TPT® is then ready to be processed on a CNC machine at Richard Mille’s factory. Carbon TPT® improves the rate of occurrence of breaking stresses by 25% and of micro-cracks by 200% compared to other technically advanced forms of carbon material.
The caseband is in grade 5 titanium with 5N red gold polished inserts.
The tripartite case is water resistant to 50 metres, ensured by 2 Nitril O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.
Torque-limiting crown
In grade 5 titanium with black rubber collar and synthetic ruby. The torque limiting crown prevents accidental over-winding of the watch, which can cause damage to the winding stem or extreme pressure on the barrel spring.
Interior flanges
Upper flange in white gold black treated
Lower flange in microblasted grade 5 titanium
Crystal
Bezel side
In sapphire (1,800 Vickers) with anti-glare treatment (both sides) Thickness: 1.50 mm
Caseback
In sapphire with anti-glare treatment (both sides)
Thickness: 1.20 mm at the centre; outer edges 2.04 mm
Finishing
Movement
- Hand-polished bevelling
- Microblasted milled sections
- Drawn or polished outer faces
Steel parts
- Microblasted surfaces
- Satin-brushed surfaces
- Hand-polished bevelling
- Hand-drawn finishing on the upper surfaces
- Matt strokes on the underside
- Lengthwise hand-drawn strokes on the sides
- Polished sinks
Profile-turning
- Lapped and polished ends
- Burnished pivots
Wheels
- Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
- Circular-smoothed faces
- Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
- Minimal corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance
