• In-house automatic tourbillon Calibre CRMT5
• Bezels: Gold leaf incorporated in Quartz TPT®
• Material exclusive to Richard Mille in watchmaking
It all started at the Richard Mille manufacture, where watchmaking is a vocation: a quest to roll back the frontiers of the possible. Each watch is conceived as a work of art bringing together cutting-edge technology and timeless aesthetics. Which is how the idea came about of incorporating gold leaf into Quartz TPT®, a high-tech material.
At the heart of this creation a desire to wed ineffable Time to materials that transcend the present. The RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon thus dons a luminous new attire, cloaking its mechanical heart in the ethereal glow of Gold-Quartz TPT®. This material, exclusive to Richard Mille in watchmaking, perfectly embodies one of the brand’s guiding principles—innovation as a conduit for sensation. Its radiant exterior deploys a delicate fusion of mineral and metal, brought to life by years of meticulous research.
In this alchemical blend, the technical resilience of Quartz TPT® entwines with the timeless allure of gold, yielding a material that balances the best of both modern and tradition worlds. Developed over several years with the brand’s partner, Swiss composite expert North Thin Ply Technology, Gold-Quartz TPT® is the culmination of a complex process: ultra-thin sheets of quartz fibres are stacked, layer upon layer, then heated to 120° at a pressure of 6 bars. The result is a composite both rugged and refined, with natural striations that weave a unique visual tapestry. Within this structure, delicate leaves of 22-carat 5N rose gold are embedded, their warm glow shimmering through the translucent quartz. This union of elements produces an exquisite play of light, a dance between the delicacy of gold and the primal strength of quartz.
At the heart of the RM 74-02 beats the CRMT5 Calibre, an in-house automatic tourbillon movement crafted from 18K 5N red gold and 18K 3N yellow gold for the baseplate and bridges, respectively. Within this intricate and architectural openwork structure, the tourbillon regulator ensures the movement’s precision. A red gold and platinum variable-geometry rotor is responsible for producing the energy of the watch, energy that flows seamlessly from fast-winding barrel, transmitted through the meshing teeth of involute gears, sustaining 50 hours of flawless performance. The bevelled flange, expertly crafted with festooned edges, highlights the lines of the movement, while hand-finished details refine the watch’s delicate features.
Like the Gold-Carbon TPT® version before it, the new RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon adorned with the distinctive and distinguished Gold-Quartz TPT® exemplifies how science and artistry can unite to create a true masterpiece of timekeeping.
-----
