RM 036
The world of automobiles is a constant source of inspiration for Richard Mille, who applies the same creative and R&D processes to the design of his timepieces to create extreme solutions that are impressively efficient, high-performance and innovative.
However, there was one aspect of automobile that Richard Mille had not yet explored, despite being interested in it for many years: road safety. He therefore decided to offer his support to a long-time friend, Jean Todt, and to the global organisation ‘FIA Action For Road Safety’ by developing a watch capable of offering a tangible solution to road safety problems.
Calibre RM036
Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, seconds at 6 o’clock, g-sensor and function selector.
Limited edition of 15 pieces
Richard Mille’s and Jean Todt’s teams worked together closely to develop a mechanism capable of interpreting the physical constraints felt by the body during rapid decelerations to make drivers aware of the dangers linked to the road. This is how the creation of the RM 036 tourbillon g-sensor Jean Todt came about.
The RM 036 features a tonneau shape, a recurrent visual theme of the brand. The curved, ergonomic case specifically requested by Jean Todt for this exceptional timepiece houses the RM036 calibre, a tourbillon movement made entirely of grade 5 titanium and ARCAP®, with a carbon nanofibre baseplate.
This combination of materials provides the movement with optimal resistance and flatness, and draws a sublime contrast with the finishing, which include polishing, shot-blasting and satin-brushing. The calibre features hours, minutes and seconds combined with a mechanical g-sensor, developed and patented by Renaud Papi exclusively for Richard Mille, and which translates the movement of a small internal mechanism to an indicator, thereby enabling the wearer to visualise the forces.
Assembled directly on the baseplate, this complex mechanism was designed to visually display the number of g’s accumulated by the wearer during rapid decelerations.
Composed of over 50 parts and measuring a mere 17mm, the g-sensor can withstand decelerations of several tens of g’s. Needless to say, the movement is also characterised by its unequivocal robustness.
Another unique feature of the RM 036 is the scale located at 12 o’clock, whose needle indicates whether the deceleration is safe (green zone) or critical (red zone) for the driver. A push-piece at 9 o’clock quickly resets it to zero.