Drive For Excellence
Three years ago, Richard Mille and Ferrari shook the horological realm when they unveiled their first collaborative timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ultraflat Ferrari.
Coming in at a thickness of just 1.75mm, the hyper-flat creation shattered the record for the world's thinnest mechanical watch, demonstrating a relentless pursuit of technical innovation that pushes the highest limits.
So, when it was announced that the renowned watchmaker and luxury sports car manufacturer would be releasing their second joint timepiece, all eyes were on the two brands to see what boundary-breaking offering the dynamic partnership would deliver next.
Contrary to what some expected, the watch Richard Mille and Ferrari revealed in March this year was not another ultra-thin endeavour, or minimalist, avant-garde design concept.
Instead, the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari takes a form that's much closer to Richard Mille's iconic watches, while providing a profound expression of complexity, high performance, and deep synergy between the partner brands.
For instance, the tourbillon split-second chronograph, Richard Mille's most complex high-complication format, was reinvented for the timepiece through extensive creative exchange between the two technical powerhouses.
The timepiece incorporates visual and technical elements that draw from Ferrari's legacy.
Heavily influenced by the rich legacy of Ferrari's engineering feats, the RM 43-01's design holds numerous references and motifs that point to the legendary automaker.
'The two watches we have created with Ferrari show that you won't ever know what to expect from this partnership,' said Alexandre Mille, brand director of Richard Mille, at the launch of the RM 43-01 in Paris, which Life Inspired was invited to attend.
'With this second release, the message is that from now on, you will always be surprised with the watches we produce with them.'
The RM 43-01 Ferrari was launched at Palais De Tokyo in Paris, France on March 20, 2025.
An evolving alliance
The partnership between Richard Mille and Ferrari was first forged in 2021. Since then, the collaborative relationship between the two has only grown stronger and more intertwined.
This is evidenced by the depth of co-creative involvement seen in the RM 43-01 compared to the inaugural RM UP-01.
For the ultra-thin RM UP-01, Ferrari's contributions extended to design aspects such as the strap, dial and screws.
With the subsequent RM 43-01, the partners worked closely together throughout the development process, from formulating the design to deciding on the movement and complications.
'On this new watch, the collaboration went a lot deeper, and the next project after this will go even deeper,' shared Tim Malachard, marketing director of Richard Mille.
'When you start getting to know each other and taking in ideas both ways, you can't not be inspired.'
'It's incredible going to Ferrari's Centro Stile design centre in Maranello and seeing the mechanical components like the gearbox and hydraulic pumps. They are amazingly technical pieces, and that's what we love at Richard Mille.'
The result of two and a half years of development, the RM 43-01 was crafted and refined through creative and technical dialogue between the brands.
Ferrari's 'prancing horse' symbol is laser-engraved on a titanium plate shaped like the rear wing of the Ferrari 499P car.
Representatives from both sides continually exchanged ideas and challenged each other, spurred on by a shared passion for engineering excellence.
'The team at Central Stile would come to us with ideas for things they wanted to change, and we'd initially say no because we thought it wouldn't work. But, in the end, the things we thought were impossible, we did anyway,' Malachard recalled.
Francesca Vernia, head of Licensing and Partnership at Ferrari, added: 'The more we worked together, the more we both learned about what we could and could not do, and the limits we could push, which resulted in greater quality.'
'The secret to our partnership with Richard Mille is that we don't have to explain to them that we want to push the boundaries in new products, because it's something they naturally do.'
Homage to automaking
Uniting the best of the horological and automotive innovation, the RM 43-01 is described as the embodiment of 'the essence of performance', where aesthetic meets function and passion drives invention.
Limited to just 150 pieces, the watch comes in two versions: 75 in Carbon TPT, a lightweight and durable thin-ply composite, and 75 in microblasted and polished grade 5 titanium with a Carbon TPT caseband.
'We have two cases to express two distinct personalities: a 'gentleman driver' ethos for the titanium case, and a more high-octane attitude in the carbon version,'' said Julien Boillat, Richard Mille's casing technical director.
Owing to intensive collaboration between the two brands, the timepiece incorporates a subtle but powerful array of visual and technical elements that draw from Ferrari's vast technological cache.
Ferrari's Centro Stile had a key hand in the watch's creation, influencing everything from the overall aesthetic design, down to details like the crown, hands, and strap which bear the pattern of the automaker's Purosangue seats.
The 'prancing horse', an instantly recognisable symbol of Ferrari, is prominently displayed at 7 o'clock and laser-engraved on a suspended titanium plate shaped after the rear wing of the Ferrari 499P.
Upon closer inspection, further automotive-inspired design details emerge, such as the baseplate's metallic finish which recalls the industrial feel of sandcast engine components, and the microblasted bridges reminiscent of the matte surface of engine covers.
The intricate angular structures within the watch, including the raised ridges, contrasting tonalities, X-shaped supports and hexagonal socket-head screws, were designed to mimic the patterns and parts of Ferrari engine blocks and crankcases.
Elsewhere, the barrel jewel setting on the front pays homage to the clutch wheel of a V8 engine, while the case styling, pushers and indexes are a tribute to the exterior details of cars like the 488 Challenge Evo, the Daytona SP3, and the SF90 Stradale.
'Ferrari was very open to us taking inspiration from the mechanical engineering as well as the pure aesthetics of the car,' said Salvador Arbona, Richard Mille's movement technical director, in a press book by the brand.
'We also looked closely at the colours, materials and fabrics used by Ferrari. We were interested in the materials and finishing that would deliver a three-dimensional aspect in the movement. The team experimented with surface treatments, machining, and polishing. We played with the finish underneath with a metallic effect above.'
Technicity in tandem
Highlighting the automotive essence of the watch, the chronograph's skeletonised 30-minute counter takes pride of place on the dial, along with the tachometer, which represents a key component of modern Ferrari dashboards. Behind the counter, gears can be seen with silhouettes that mirror the jagged design of a Ferrari engine.
The foundation of the RM 43-01, the tourbillon split-seconds chronograph, constitutes the seamless integration of captivating movement architecture and storied car racing heritage: the combination of the highly complex whirling tourbillon and the dual seconds hands for recording split times.
Powering the watch is the new RM43-01 calibre, the newest generation of Richard Mille's manual winding movement, created in collaboration with the brand's long-time partner Audemars Piguet Le Locle (APLL) over a three-year development period.
The RM 43-01 in polished grade 5 titanium with a Carbon TPT caseband.
Designed to be exceptionally lightweight and strong, the movement rests on a highly skeletonised grade 5 titanium baseplate and offers 70 hours of power reserve, indicated at 2 o'clock alongside a torque indicator and a function indicator.
An innovative active seconds display, sitting above the dazzling tourbillon escapement with a titanium carriage, features five radial blades read against a 12-second index. Each element in the RM 43-01, from the micro-components to the choice of materials, was considered through the prism of performance, similar to that of a Ferrari automobile.
'When we design a watch, we find new ways to increase the performance and discover new materials that improve durability yet further. I have to say, it was incredibly stimulating to have Ferrari as our co-pilots on this adventure,' said Arbona.
Speeding ahead
At the launch of the RM 43-01, former Formula 1 driver and the first Richard Mille brand ambassador, Felipe Massa, was present to help celebrate the new timepiece's arrival.
Reflecting on his decades-long journey with the brand, he commented on the significant parallels between the worlds of Formula 1 racing and Richard Mille watches.
'In a Formula 1 car, everything needs to be perfect and precise, otherwise it's not going to work in the proper way. It's a very similar mentality when it comes to these watches,' said Massa.
Richard Mille's founding was inspired by the technical brilliance of race car engines.
Richard Mille's origins are in fact grounded in high-performance automotive engineering. The brand, founded in 2001, was inspired by the mechanical brilliance, structural complexity, and innovative materials that characterised racing car engines. This led to the revolutionary, visually arresting skeletonised movements that Richard Mille watches are known for today.
It is this automotive-based DNA that makes the partnership with Ferrari a distinctly fitting match. Both pioneers in their respective fields, the two brands
are closely aligned in their dedication towards scaling new technical heights and mutual affinity towards cutting-edge innovation.
'We have an obsession with ergonomics and comfort in our watches that is very similar to what you find in Ferrari cars. Like our watches, their cars also have incredible performance and reliability,' said Malachard.
Another shared attribute that connects the pair is a passionately devoted customer base, he noted.
Now in its fifth year, the partnership between the two brands is showing no signs of slowing down. 'We're now looking at the next five years with Ferrari,' he shared, adding that a third joint timepiece is already in the works.
However, the watch is not expected to be ready for another 18 to 24 months, due to the extensive collaborative process involved in producing these timepieces.
'The easiest path for us would just be to take one of our existing watches, put a prancing horse on the dial, and sell it, but that's not what we do at Richard Mille. From day one, Ferrari understood that we wanted to dig deeper to develop these watches.'
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