Introducing the Richard Mille RM 33-02 Automatic

Richard Mille’s team of watch designers have rallied around, Julien Boillat, the brand’s technical director to add its new generation, aggressive take on case design to the original RM 033, introduced in 2011.

They’ve done this in Richard Mille’s case material of choice as of late: Carbon TPT®. Which therein, makes the RM 33-02 the first ever round cased watch from the brand in Carbon TPT®.

Explaining the place of the RM 33-02 in the complete Richard Mille collection, Boillat explains, “Reinterpreting a model by injecting it with the latest aesthetic and technical innovations is always an exciting challenge. The RM 33-02 project was ultimately much more than this though, because we actually re-assessed its place in the collection. That is what led to this sporty saloon of a creation, which features a refined interior as well as bodywork that cleverly reveals its sporting heritage.”

The RM 33-02 measures in at 41.70mm, with the aforementioned Carbon TPT® forming the top and bottom layers of the case, and a 5N red gold mid case, bringing together the tripartite case.

From there, everything else about the watch is left to the RMXP1 calibre in grade-5 titanium. Be that as it may that the RMXP1 is a time-only calibre, the skeletonization, the level and complexity of hand-finishing adds a great deal of dimensionality to the timepiece. And this, while the watch’s height measures in at only 8.80mm.

Says Boillat, “We assembled these metal and 5N gold hour-markers on two rigid titanium rails fixed between the flange and the movement. The dial, which spans the entire calibre, accentuates the volumes while the typography of the oversized numerals adds a dynamic element to the watch’s easy readability.”

The RMXP1’s baseplate is covered with a Titalyt® electroplasma treatment, while the bridges are finished with black PVD. The platinum micro rotor on the back of the watch is optimised to with a bi-directional winding system, all in an effort to keep the rotor effective despite its smaller footprint.

The launch version of the RM 33-02 Automatic will be limited to 140 pieces.