Richard Mille Honors Racing History with a Roaring New RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic Limited Edition

No matter how you slice it, summertime is car racing time. The meat of the F1 season began at the end of May with the Monaco Grand Prix (this year titled as the TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco), and with the multitude of F1 teams/watch brand alignments, these races are garnering a great deal of attention from the watch press and F1’s huge global fandom.

Truth be told, however, if you are an F1 fan, you are also probably an endurance racing fan. So, it’s only fair that the heritage-angled ne plus ultra 24-hour endurance race, the Le Mans Classic, gets its most-deserved day in the sun, too. Isn’t it?

Fortunately, watchmaker Richard Mille (which already has a great deal of auto-racing intersection, including sponsoring not one, but two, F1 teams) is already behind the wheel.

First, let’s clear up some potential confusion. When we talk about the “Le Mans Classic,” we are NOT talking about the official race.

The official race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which took place last month in its 93rd edition, is a challenging endurance event that pits teams of drivers against each other and against the capabilities of their cutting-edge vehicles to maintain performance over the course of 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Le Mans Classic, which runs from July 3 to July 6th and includes cars that competed in the official race from 1923 to 1981, is no less grueling. In fact, the argument can be made that the Classic is even more dramatic to witness.
 

Established in 2002 as a biennial celebration of vintage racing, this year’s Classic puts 1,000 drivers and over 750 cars (with a multitude of non-racing historic cars on display, to boot) on the same demanding Sarthe circuit…and for the same 24 hours of engine-burning endurance.

Richard Mille has been a principal partner of the event since its beginning, and has produced special Le Mans Classic editions for the race since 2008.

The limited edition piece for 2025 continues the Richard Mille tradition of working with the race’s official dark green-and-white livery. Still, there are plenty of new elements that add to the ongoing story.
 

For instance, the new, vintage-inspired, 42mm by 49.94mm tonneau-shaped RM 30-01 is constructed by sandwiching Grade 5 titanium layers with a stunning Green Quartz TPT case band. Moreover, additional track-ready interior color details in green and orange add more visual octane.
 

Meanwhile, a checkered flag motif surrounds the oversized two-digit date window at 4 o’clock. There is also additional logo work on the sapphire caseback, and a vented green rubber strap completes the package.

The thrumming Calibre RMAR2 automatic movement is, per Richard Mille’s design DNA, skeletonized. There is also a fuel gauge-style power indicator that runs from 12 o’clock to 8:30 to keep track of its 55-hour power reserve.

Moreover, the timepiece features a unique function-selector pusher at 2 o’clock that lets you toggle the main crown functions between hand-setting (H), date-setting (D), and winding (W) modes. Like a dashboard, there is an H/D/W function indicator at 3 o’clock.
 

In an exclusive feature, the movement’s rotor automatically detaches from the barrel when it’s fully wound, optimizing winding control and providing more constant torque/power. Think of it as a kind of unexpected “cruise control” feature. There is an on/off “clutch” indicator at 11 o’clock on the dial for the rotor’s operational status, which can be re-engaged via the winding (W) mode setting.
 

The most significant update, however, is the addition of an uncannily apt new 24-hour counter at 2 o’clock on the dial. This feature is made even more specific to the Classic race with a green-boxed 16 numeral (with 16:00 hours traditionally serving as the “green flag” for the races).
 

Limited to 150 pieces, to learn more about the RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic, including pricing information, check out Richard Mille’s website.