Richard Mille has unveiled its most extreme watch yet, the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail, as part of its five year partnership with McLaren.
Retailing at a tongue-biting US$1.022 million, the timepiece is modeled after McLaren’s first Hyper-GT and its fastest road car ever (reaching a top speed of 250 mph), the hybrid Speedtail. The US$2.25 million supercar first made its appearance in 2018, with a limited production of 106 units.
Like the hypercar, the watch emulates the shape of a teardrop – also known as nature’s most aerodynamic form. Instead of adapting an existing model, Richard Mille began crafting this audacious timepiece from scratch. With Julien Boillat at the reigns, the watchmaker’s casing department spent 2,800 hours in the span of 18 months to perfect the case’s teardrop silhouette – making it wider at 12 o’clock than at 6 o’clock. It’s made with 69 parts, combining titanium and high-tech Carbon TPT, with contrasting mirror-polished, plain, and satin finishes to bring out its unique geometry.
The watch also features a completely new movement, the Calibre CRMT4. The result of five prototypes, it’s displayed beneath a domed sapphire crystal designed with a triple contour to compensate the decreasing taper and thickness of the bezel.
This new engine is comprised of 672 components – including bridge screws, bridges, rotor core, and baseplate all made of Grade 5 titanium. The CRMT4 also introduces a few firsts for an in-house tourbillon, a power reserve display, oversized date display, and function selector complications.
Other elements inspired by the Speedtail include the platinum and red gold winding rotor that’s inspired by the hypercar’s hood and the barrel-setting which reflects its roof line. The downward curve from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock mirrors the brushed metal divider between the car’s cockpit and bodywork. To complete the watch, McLaren’s signature Papaya Orange stripe runs from the 6 o’clock position onto the integrated rubber strap, mimicking the vertical stoplight that’s mounted in the Speedtail’s rear screen.
Richard Mille plans to produce 106 units of the RM40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail, matching the number of McLaren Speedtails being manufactured. More information can be found on Richard Mille’s official website.
Photos: Richard Mille