The price of the avant-garde watchmaker Richard Mille new RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat will not be announced until the start of the exhibition, but its positioning is the brand’s new entry-level timepiece. The 3.6 mm long slim movement is wrapped in a hollow case, showing an extraordinary depth.
Hands-on Richard Miller RM 67-01, the flattest Richard Miller so far
Richard Mille’s trade stock has never been an ultra-thin watch – if any, his watches have performed particularly well in depth over the years, and some of them have been thorough. However, when he is willing, he can certainly make thinner watches, which usually work very well. The rectangular RM 16 and the recent RM 33-01 are different from his usual usage. This year, he showed his latest RM 67-01 at SIHH, which is his flattest watch to date. Since the company launched its first watch in 2001, this is the first ultra-flat watch he made in a barrel-shaped case.
Richard Mille’s design work is hard to fault. Suppose you completely like this watch design method, basically Richard Mille (Richard Mille swiss), and those who try (usually unsuccessful) to imitate him. (Designing watches after Richard Mille is a bit like becoming a painter after Jackson Pollock, or a writer after James Joyce; trying to copy its language or The visual vocabulary to replicate its success is both tempting and a terrible idea. RM 67-01 is a beautiful watch. The titanium alloy version shown here does a very good job in terms of overall fit and surface finish; obviously, We have carefully considered the relationship between each surface and the dial, gear train and other elements of the case. As we said when looking at the Apple Watch, attention to detail is the real luxury.
Richard Mille does have his own unique design language, but it is also true. This celebration of the aesthetic characteristics of industrial materials is a classic modernist design strategy, in addition to some other obvious exceptions. (For example, Royal Oak, for the stainless steel in watches, Mies van der Rohe has done so much in construction), few watch designers like Richard Miller (Richard Mille) Do that.
An interesting thing about his method is that, at least in a broad sense, it is actually quite conservative, which I think is an important part of Mille’s success. He is very willing to challenge expectations, but challenges are presented in a reassuring framework, so the whole thing will not become too distant.
Most of his works are attracted by traditional watchmaking, whether it is surface treatment or mechanical aspects. With a fast-rotating barrel and boasting of optimized gear profiles, it is almost like a baseball inside. Although Richard Mille’s watches use modern industrial materials and finishing methods, overall, his aesthetic effects still depend on changes in polishing. Matte and brushed surfaces have been the spot supply of the Geneva watch luxury industry for centuries.
Where I really struggled with Richard Mille was pricing. Nowadays, you and almost everyone who talks to it will agree that things have become out of control, not only potential watch customers; but, a considerable number of CEOs or people close to the CEO level have commented to us that they are really I want to know (I mean) whether the industry is not in trouble yet. Specifically, where did the disconnect between the value provided and the actual price start to become unacceptable? Of course, it depends on many variables. I think that these two methods really start to make me feel that I have given up the responsibility to discuss the necessary things. After all, in terms of how to view art, the extremely high price of the art world is fair to the discussion. Why not watchmaking?
This is a chronograph with a time and date mark for a titanium case. Undoubtedly, high prices are part of the appeal of many Richard Mille customers – this is part of what makes his watch such an effective exclusive mark. , And if they are not so recognizable, they will not be able to play this role well. I think it is obvious that many topics about his watches involve high cost and exclusivity, which is an intentional strategy.
As for RM 67-01, it is obviously very expensive, but then again, people like Kari Voutilainen and Roger Smith also have similar price points, while offering completely different value propositions, or the real disconnection of mechanical watches fashion, at least in High-end, it is not between value and price, but between function and price. At this level, the object in question is almost accidental.
Richard Mille RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat; shown, white gold case, diameter 38.70 mm x 47.52 mm x 7.75 mm. Hour, minute, date; function indicator shows the position of the crown. Richard Mille designed the movement, a CRMA6 movement with a diameter of 3.6 mm; a platinum rotor with a power reserve of 50 hours, running 25 jewels at a speed of 28,800 vph. Water resistance, 50 m. The movement was designed by Richard Mille and manufactured externally.