Banish the notion that a woman’s timepiece is only about gemstones. As the field of watches grows in popularity, the designs that stand out are the ones that speak to a broader cohort of tastes. That means widening the horizon from beautiful, precious decorations to include the nerdier, more technical aspects of the craft. That approach is writ large at Richard Mille, where its collection of women’s timepieces share the brand’s obsession with innovative research and development. That sort of technicality can err on the side of academic—and in watchmaking, it often does. But with Richard Mille, the pursuit of horological performance often yields fascinating designs.
Consider the RM 07-01, the tonneau-shaped reference that is the linchpin of the Swiss brand’s offering for women. One of its defining features is the movement that powers it: the CRMA2, an automatic self-winding calibre that was developed in-house specifically for this collection. This movement has one of the brand’s mechanical signatures, a variable geometry rotor—a system of movable weights, in essence, that can be adjusted to the physical intensity of a wearer’s lifestyle.
The workings of the watch are visible thanks to the skeletonised and open-worked dial design of the RM 07-01. Save for a slender tonneau-shaped dial plate, the baseplate and bridges, crafted from micro blasted grade 5 titanium, are on full display.
The developments of this watch aren’t just contained on the inside. Originally offered in gold cases, the reference has since expanded to include marvels of material science such as TZP ceramic and carbon TPT. The former, a material that Richard Mille has used to colourful effect with summer capsule collections, and the latter a super lightweight material with a damascene pattern that’s used in things such as racing yachts and the chassis of Formula 1 cars.
What’s impressive about the RM 07-01 offerings is that the models crafted from these high-tech materials still feature precious gems. Unlike relatively more malleable materials such as gold and steel, ceramic and carbon TPT are brittle and run the risk of shattering in the setting process. The brand devised a method of machining channels and grooves in the case to fit individual gold setting prongs and diamonds—effectively mastering its materials.
This dedication to turning highly technical details into facts of beauty is championed by the brand’s creative director, Cécile Guenat. With a jeweller’s background, her designs for Richard Mille simultaneously channel glamour and mechanics with remarkable savvy.
See, for example, the open-link gourmette bracelet offered exclusively on the RM 07-01. It’s a twist on a curb chain, with each link finished with bead blasting, and satin- and mirror-polishing. On the shiniest end are options in white or red gold with snow-set diamonds; and in a double-duty sweet spot, a version in red gold with alternating links in black carbon TPT—a combination of gleaming gold and black textured matte surfaces that yields a distinct slant on glamour.
This article was originally published in the May ‘Escape’ issue of Vogue Singapore, available online and on newsstands now.
