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The New Richard Mille RM 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium: Don’t Call It a Throwback

The new Richard Mille RM 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium revisits a foundational metal for the brand.

By Laurie Kahle
Contributor

From carbon nanofiber to Quartz TPT and many, many more, cutting-edge materials – often borrowed from high-tech aerospace and Formula One racing – have long set Richard Mille apart from the crowd in the rarefied world of haute horlogerie.

But the new RM 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium hearkens back to some of the brand’s earliest models with Mille’s hallmark tonneau-shaped case fashioned from satin-finished grade 5 titanium. A biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant, and remarkably rigid alloy, grade 5 titanium is 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminum, and 4% vanadium.
 

The manual-winding RM 17-02 debuted in 2022 with a lightweight TZP ceramic and satin-finished 18-karat red gold case and came in white and blue versions limited to 30 pieces each. Then, earlier this year, the brand unveiled a version in White Quartz TPT, which was also limited to 30 pieces.

Now, this fourth titanium iteration, which is not limited, exhibits a more discreet character, underscoring timeless style with what may be viewed as an almost retro vibe for longtime Mille devotees.

Titans of Titanium

For Richard Mille, titanium’s benefits, combining lightness with durability, extend beyond simply using it as a case material because the brand pioneered incorporating the material into movements, an expensive proposition given how difficult and labor-intensive titanium is to work with and finish.

More specifically, Mille lays claim to being the first to use a titanium baseplate, a development that came at great cost and with considerable headaches due to the high rejection rate that resulted. Not only is the manufacturing of titanium components extremely time-consuming due to the hardness of the material, but its flammability during manufacturing requires special safety precautions in production.
 

The new titanium model’s sapphire dial and caseback show off the intricate architecture of the tourbillon Calibre RM17-02, with its baseplate and bridges made of ribbed, grade 5 titanium, infusing the movement with rigidity, as well as extreme surface flatness, which is essential for ideal gear train function.

Every detail, however minute, is painstakingly hand-finished with anglage and polishing.

The radically skeletonized architecture knits together the calibre’s elements, further enhancing rigidity. And to guarantee the movement’s robustness, the baseplate and all titanium parts undergo extensive testing to ensure they meet essential strength requirements.
 

Bridges visually pop with PVD treatments in blue and 5N gold, while the baseplate supporting the tourbillon movement has a black PVD treatment. The movement’s tangle of gears gleam in silver and gold, imparting a sense of depth and dynamism. And Arabic numerals in Mille’s characteristic bold font heighten legibility in golden yellow.

The tripartite titanium case alone resulted from a year’s R&D investment. The construction eliminates the casing ring and mounts the movement directly on chassis mounting rubbers (ISO SW) fixed with grade 5 titanium screws. The case, which measures 40.10mm wide by 48.15mm long by 13.08mm thick, is water resistant to 50 meters thanks to two Nitril O-ring seals.
 

Getting Technical

As with all Mille watches, technicity is front and center. So, it comes as no surprise that the RM 17-02 is enriched with several of Mille’s performance-enhancing, security, and user-friendly innovations – some of which go back to the brand’s pioneering days in the early 2000s.

For example, the function selector/display at 4 o’clock: Inspired by a car’s gearbox and a concept that traces back to Mille’s second model, the RM 002, the function selector/display shows whether the watch is in winding, neutral, or setting mode as the crown is manipulated. Meanwhile, at 2 o’clock, a linear display, similar to a fuel gauge, tracks the movement’s power reserve of about 70 hours (plus/minus 10%).
 

The free-sprung balance with variable inertia increases reliability in the event of shocks, improving chronometric results over time, while the fast-rotating barrel (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours) minimizes the loss of torque as the mainspring unwinds, thereby increasing precision.

A significant winding gain of about 20% – especially at the start of winding – is achieved with a barrel pawl with a progressive recoil. It also contributes to the even distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension. And the central involute profile of the winding-barrel teeth and pinion (with an optimal pressure angle of 20°) is credited for a distinct performance improvement.
 

Protecting the movement from wear and tear is another priority. A safety system with a blocking gear protects the roller jewel of the balance as well as the winding barrel from possible overwinding, and a ceramic end stone for the tourbillon cage reduces friction.

Referencing one of the brand’s primary inspirations, Mille compares its rigorous, holistic design and development processes to the analytical engineering methods used to design Formula 1 racing cars, which synchronize the chassis and engine for optimal performance.
 

Pricing & Availability

Available as you read this, the RM 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium is non-limited and priced at $715,000. To learn more, check out the Richard Mille website.

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Savoir-faire RM 17-02 Titanium — RICHARD MILLE