Richard Mille RM 40-01 automatic tourbillon McLaren Speedtail. A new case shape that follows the design of the car.
For Richard Mille, a future involving the McLaren car brand is almost written on the stars. As a lifelong car enthusiast, his passion can be traced back to 1966 when he was only 15 years old. His father took him to the Monaco Grand Prix, where he saw Bruce McLaren driving his M2B. It was the first McLaren Formula One car. He vividly recalled the “absolutely terrifying” sound of the Ford engine, the real purpose of which was to power the McLaren Can-Am in the Indianapolis 500. Part of this personal experience instilled a deep-rooted enthusiasm for the automaker, which led to Richard Mille’s long-term partnership with McLaren in February 2016.
As Richard Mille fake and the British luxury supercar manufacturer McLaren Motors have continued their cooperation for the fifth year, the two brands are pleased to present their latest and most ambitious collaboration to date-the new model. Chad Miller RM 40-01 automatic tourbillon McLaren fast tail. A watch can be summarized as five prototype development, 8,600 hours of movement structure development, 672 components, 5000 g impact test and 18 months of new case shape development.
As the name suggests, this extraordinary and unique watch pays tribute to the futuristic Speedtail, the fastest, most advanced and most exotic road car ever produced by McLaren. Based on the shape of teardrops, which is the most aerodynamically efficient shape in nature, the Speedtail is a model of streamlined super sports cars. This is a three-seater luxury station wagon, becoming the fourth car in the McLaren Ultimate series.
The Richard Mille RM 40-01 watch combines its shape, material and the concept behind it with Richard Mille’s own outstanding technical spirit and unique and ground-breaking design to complement this most special car. To reflect the 106 McLaren Speedtails manufactured, only 106 Richard Mille RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail watches will be manufactured.
McLaren Speedtail is known as one of the most remarkable and amazing car designs ever. It is considered radical in form and function. It is a man-made machine inspired by one of the purest forms-teardrops. Viewed from above, the outline of the car resembles the outline of a single water drop. This is the most aerodynamically efficient shape in nature and the starting point for the final streamlined luxury station wagon. A carefully selected team of no less than a dozen aerodynamic experts studied the form of Speedtail, which involved designing and creating some of the most advanced airflow systems seen in any type of car.
Scientifically developed wind protection enhancements-from the air intakes on the side of the Speedtail headlamps to the NACA ducts installed on the roof, from the streamlined bottom to a pair of flexible rear ailerons-making it a 1,055-horsepower hybrid system It can propel an all-carbon car to a top speed of 250 miles per hour (402 km/h), making it the fastest McLaren vehicle ever. Due to its central driving position and three-seater configuration reminiscent of the legendary F1 in the 1990s, Speedtail is known as the “spiritual successor to the original Ultimate Series car. Like F1, production is limited to 106 examples starting in February 2020. During the 12-month operation period, it was built in McLaren Automotive’s state-of-the-art production facility in Woking, England.
“In addition to drawing inspiration from Speedtail’s teardrop shape, we also faced the challenge of seamlessly integrating the existing Richard Mille cue with McLaren cue.” Julien Boillat, Casing Technical Director.
The bezel and back cover are made of grade 5 titanium, while the strap is made of carbon TPT. This is an extraordinary material with a unique finish, which changes the direction of the weft yarn between layers by layering hundreds of carbon fibers using an automated process. Heated to 120 degrees Celsius in an autoclave similar to that used for aerospace parts, the material is then ready for processing at Richard Mille. The tripartite case-titanium and carbon TPT-is water-resistant to 50 meters and is sealed by 2 nitrile rubber O-rings. The case size is 41.80 x 48.25 x 14.15 mm and is assembled by 12 grade 5 titanium spline screws and 316 L stainless steel wear-resistant washers. imitation watches
Richard Mille’s casing department is led by Julien Boillat, and it took an unprecedented 2,800 hours to perfect these production lines in 18 months. Due to the unprecedented complexity of the design, five prototypes were created before reaching the optimal shape. The challenge is that the case is significantly wider at 12 o’clock than at 6 o’clock.
In order to protect the most advanced movement of the RM 40-01, Richard Mille has developed a unique upper crystal glass with a “triple profile” to reduce the taper and thickness of the bezel. The attention to detail is extreme, with mirror polishing, plain and satin finishes in different areas, and the combined use of titanium and carbon TPT. The case itself is made of 69 separate parts. The date can be easily corrected with a button, and the McLaren logo is located at 8 o’clock.
The crown design uses a control in the car’s cockpit. It is based on Speedtail’s drive mode selector and is a real engineering marvel, made of a combination of carbon TPT and titanium. The function selection button at 4 o’clock allows you to choose between neutral, winding and manual setting functions with a single touch-just like using a paddle shifter.
The sapphire crystal above is very complicated, and the cost is 15 to 20 times that of the “classic” Richard Mille sapphire watch glass-already very expensive and complicated. The reason is the triple contour formed by the special shape of the bezel and the gradually decreasing thickness. It is very difficult to grind the three radii of sapphire to a measurement value of plus or minus two-half millimeters.
The crystal design alone required 18 months of work, because they had to find a way to grind the sapphire into a perfect shape and seal it to ensure a water resistance of 50 meters. Sapphire is a very hard material and cannot be milled using, for example, a five-axis machine that might be used to make bezels. The only way to process sapphire is by grinding, and we now have this knowledge inside Richard Mille, using stones that gradually erode the surface over hours, so that the crystal has a very precise geometry.
The new automatic movement architecture requires an astonishing 8,600 hours of development time, most of which is spent on completing the ultimate details. Grade 5 titanium has been used for key components such as bridges, bridge screws, base plates and rotor cores. The CRMT4 movement introduces the complication of a power reserve display and a large date and function selector, all of which are the first of Richard Mille’s internal tourbillon.
The wheels are machined with the McLaren logo and decorated on the Speedtail hood, while the dome parts introduce new surface contours required to transform the car’s curves. The platinum and red gold winding rotors are inspired by the McLaren Speedtail’s hood and the barrel setting of the roof line.
The design and execution of the watch demonstrates a holistic approach to the movement, case and dial concepts. Therefore, everything is built according to extremely strict specifications. For example, the casing ring is no longer used, and the movement is mounted on the chassis and the rubber-ISO SW-is fixed by titanium screws. The movement can provide a power reserve of 50 hours after being fully wound.
“The complexity of the components, the many details, and most importantly, the attention to surface treatment makes the RM 40-01 firmly occupy the pinnacle of Swiss-made watches. For example, the rims are polished and have progressive angles-among other elements. -And the bevels are gradually polished by hand.” Salvador Arbona, Movement Technical Director.
