Richard Mille announces the second collaboration model with ACJ: the RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibration Alarm ACJ

Another collaboration with ACJ

　Richard Mille, which continues to release models incorporating unexpected mechanisms, has its main source of inspiration in the aerospace industry. A prime example is the RM 50-02 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph ACJ, released in 2016. As the name suggests, this is a collaboration model with Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), a business jet developed by Airbus, the company renowned for its passenger aircraft.

　Now, the follow-up model, the RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibration Alarm ACJ, is being released. While the RM 50-02 was easily reminiscent of the white color of a jumbo jet, the RM 62-01 features a black woodgrain case that at first glance is hardly associated with an airplane. This was inspired by the custom-made dark cabin designed by Sylvain Maria, head of ACJ's creative design studio, which specializes in custom-built private jets.

Tourbillon and vibration alarm: seemingly contradictory elements coexist

　Smartphones are said to have all the functions necessary for business people who travel frequently, and one of the most commonly used features by modern business people is the alarm function. However, have you ever experienced the vibration of your smartphone alarm on a desk at a meeting, attracting the attention of everyone in attendance?

　The RM 62-01 has a tourbillon, but it also has a vibration function, which is unnoticeable to others even if they are just a few centimetres away. Only the wearer can feel the vibration.

　Shocks and small vibrations are considered the biggest enemies of a watch movement. Naturally, it is essential that the vibration alarm does not interfere with the movement's operation. The solution to this difficult problem is a gold rotor, inspired by the vibrators used in mobile phones.

　In addition, engineers spent five years experimenting with how to minimize the effects of vibration on the movement. The result was the Cal. RM62-01, which is comprised of 816 parts, two barrels, seven hands, 11 functions, and a tourbillon carriage. This second collaboration model pushes complexity to the limits, and the vibration alarm will not be noticed by others, even in the quietest places. The RM 62-01's vibration is praised not only for its mechanical complexity, but also for its sheer convenience.

　The key to this quiet vibration, without negatively impacting the movement, is the bezel, which combines polished and satin-finished titanium with machined Carbon TPT® to a thickness of just 1.8 mm. This double bezel was not chosen solely for aesthetic reasons. The combination of titanium and Carbon TPT® gives the RM62-01 an optimal strength-to-weight ratio. If the alarm head were too light, it would vibrate the entire case. The added weight of the titanium ensures the watch fits snugly on the wrist, absorbing the vibrations of the alarm.

　With a complex mechanism incorporated into a design that allows you to enjoy a more mature worldview, Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movement, says, "The RM 62-01 is the most complicated watch Richard Mille has ever produced." This is a particularly ambitious watch among Richard Mille's many masterpieces.