Richard Mille and professional golfer Bubba Watson have been working together for over a decade on several timepieces, but the pink – sort of Bubba obsession – not yet in any watch.
Pink appears on his clubs, golf balls, signature drivers and clothing, so he has pushed the Swiss brand to create pink models since the collaboration began. They eventually came to an agreement, and the result was the new Richard Mille RM 38-02 Tourbillon Bubba Watson.
Inspired by the boldness of previous signature Bubba Watson and his favourite colour, the RM 38-02 is built around a carbon TPT baseplate consisting of multiple layers of parallel carbon filaments. This material, which is ubiquitous in RM 38-02, is very demanding in terms of processing, both because of its hardness and because it undergoes skeletonization.
As for the whole watch, we have carried out a number of extensive tests on the baseplate to ensure that its skeletonization does not affect its mechanical properties. To be sure, the Golf is a great testing ground for this high-performance sports watch. On the wrist of a great hitter like Bubba Watson, this watch has to withstand the stress of hard stops and hard acceleration.
Given the acceleration of today’s golf balls as high as 50,000 grams, it was critical to ensure that the RM 38-02 could withstand shocks of up to 10,000 grams.
The baseplate supports grade 5 titanium bridges that securely hold the involute gears and the 10.90mm tourbillon with variable inertia balance. The open bridge consists of two tubes that run through the movement from both sides. They are hand-painted in grade 5 titanium and pink, highlighting the unique construction of the RM38-02 movement.
The micro-perforated bridges on the back of the movement are also pink, echoing the driver’s head motif that Bubba uses in the race.
The case of the RM 38-02 with a fixed carbon fiber TPT base plate is made of the same material, here combined with pink quartz TPT fiber. Combining the different colours and materials so skillfully was no small technical challenge. The groove on the case visually extends the opening on the bezel.
The asymmetrical shape of the 43.70 x 50.04 x 15.95 mm case ensures optimum comfort and prevents the dynamometer crown from rubbing against the wrist. Water resistance is guaranteed up to 5 bar (50 m/165 ft) thanks to two nitrile O-rings.
Vibrating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), the movement is equipped with a free sprung balance with variable inertia, a mechanism that ensures greater reliability in the event of shocks and during assembly or disassembly of the movement for better timing results. Thanks to 4 small adjustable screws located directly on the balance, the regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible.
The fast-spinning barrel (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours for improved performance) guarantees a power reserve of approximately 70 hours (±10%). fashion cheap watches
