Richard Mille and Felipe Massa, 10 years of passion

Felipe Massa finished third at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, with 40 podium finishes in his career. « It was an incredible moment for me, but it was also felt by the whole team. The team has a rich history and we will continue to build on it. This is a special day. » says Felipe Massa. After 8 Grand Prix this year, Felipe currently ranks 6th in the world driver standings with a total of 62 points.

Brazilian Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa is the first sports figure to join the Richard Mille family. As a long-term test driver of Richard Mille watches, it was he who made the brand start and accomplish amazing feats in the development of watchmaking. These achievements include the manufacture of a carbon nanofiber baseplate, first tested on the RM 006 FM and then used on many other models, and the machining of new materials such as the Alusic case on the RM 009 FM.

This cooperation, which has forged a deep friendship, is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, Richard Mille has dedicated to Felipe Massa a collection of RM 056 and RM 011 timepieces, aptly titled “10th Anniversary”.

Renowned among experts for its technical prowess, the RM 056 tourbillon movement is a synthesis of the brand’s most exciting innovations.

Comprised of more than 500 individual parts, the RMCC1 movement in grade 5 titanium houses one of the finest complications in the horological world: the split-seconds chronograph. This tourbillon movement also has power reserve and torque indicators and a function selector. As meticulous as Felipe Massa was in his own field, Richard Mille’s engineers optimized the movement, fine-tuned its timekeeping precision and improved its rattrapante operation by reducing friction, ensuring long-term caliber reliability.

Cut from sapphire, the case perfectly showcases these mechanisms, a process that required years of research and testing to meet the highest standards of comfort and resistance. Often imitated but never surpassed, this masterpiece of style and engineering represented a considerable challenge: machining the sapphire was an extremely complex process requiring no less than 1,000 hours of work per case, including 430 Filing and 350 hours of polishing for the bezel, case middle and case back as a whole. whole-watches-discount.com

The second timepiece in the “10th Anniversary” collection, the RM 011 is an iconic Richard Mille model, named after Felipe Massa from its conception. The so-called RMAC1, an automatic movement, heralds the brand’s first flyback chronograph. Entirely crafted in grade 5 titanium and polished by hand, the movement features annual calendar, 60-minute flyback chronograph and countdown functions, and is fitted for this anniversary edition in Richard Mille’s exclusive NTPT® carbon fiber Inside the case, it has extraordinary durability and unique appearance.

These are examples of the superlatives of the court of fine watchmaking; they also reflect the extraordinary achievements of Felipe himself, who participated in 218 races in his 13-year career, 16 of which were pole positions and 40 times on the podium. podium, with 11 race wins and a total of 1012 points (including his last podium at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2015). His career was mainly led by Ferrari, the second longest at Ferrari. Felipe is also the 4th most successful driver in Scuderia Ferrari’s history.

The RM 056 and RM 011 watches of the “10th Anniversary” collection are inspired by the colors of the drivers’ cars. Accordingly, the flange, transmission, pushers and crown are finished in blue and yellow, while Felipe’s logo is subtly placed at 1 o’clock. On the RM 011, Felipe’s race number 19 has been subtly redesigned to be reminiscent of 12 on the sapphire dial. The final highlight of these exceptional models is Felipe’s signature engraved on the reverse. Richard Mille Bubba Watson replica watch