- Size
- 45.00 × 37.80 × 12.65 mm
- Edition
- 25 pieces
Overview
29 grams, and two world firsts
Presented in 2005 in a limited edition of 25 pieces, the RM 009 Felipe Massa was the lightest tourbillon watch ever produced at its launch, at 29 grams without the strap. It achieved that through two world premieres: an ALUSIC® case and a skeletonised movement made of aluminium-lithium.
Richard Mille describes the watch as a war against marketing. The prevailing view was that a watch had to be heavy to be perceived as valuable; the brand set out to prove that one weighing 29 grams could be just as serious an achievement.
The case is the world’s first application of ALUSIC® in watchmaking — a proprietary acronym for an aluminium AS7G, silicon and carbide alloy previously reserved for satellite construction. Richard Mille notes that the material could be neither polished nor brushed, which is part of the point: the brand describes exploring the hidden beauty of industrial materials, revealed only when used in a specific and creative way.
The brief was dual. Build the lightest mechanical watch made to that date, and build a tourbillon able to endure the vibrations, accelerations, decelerations and shocks of Felipe Massa’s tests, practice runs and Formula 1 races.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Calibre RM009/1Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours and minutes, on 19 jewels, with a mono-metallic balance rotating within a one-minute tourbillon carriage.
- Aluminium-lithium baseplateThe first time in the history of watchmaking that a movement baseplate had been manufactured in aluminium-lithium, an alloy otherwise used in aviation. Richard Mille records years of research and development behind it.
- ALUSIC® caseAluminium AS7G-silicon-carbide, with a density of 2.95 and a high resistance to wear, reserved before this for exceptional satellites on account of its cost and its resistance to machining. Richard Mille records four years of research and development on the case alone. Its rigidity relative to weight is what allowed the total weight to fall as far as it did.
- Case constructionTonneau form, the bezel secured by 8 screws, with a sapphire crystal display back.
- Dial and handsSkeletonised dial with Arabic numerals and luminescent dot accents; luminescent skeletonised hands.
- Movement finishingAnglage and polishing by hand; hand-polished locking sections; sapphire-blasted milled sections; lapped and polished contact points; burnished pivots. Steel parts sapphire-blasted and satin-finished with hand anglage and polishing.
- Gear wheelsConcave chamfering with a diamond tool, circular-finished faces, gilded before the teeth are cut, with manual correction kept to a minimum so that geometry and performance are preserved.
Specifications
Technical specifications
| Reference | RM 009 (example ref. RM009 AF ALUSIC) |
|---|---|
| Calibre | RM009/1 |
| Type | Manual winding tourbillon |
| Functions | Hours, minutes · One-minute tourbillon |
| Power reserve | Not established |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph (3 Hz) |
| Jewels | 19 |
| Baseplate | Aluminium-lithium |
| Balance | Mono-metallic, within a one-minute tourbillon carriage |
| Case dimensions | 45.00 × 37.80 × 12.65 mm |
| Case material | ALUSIC® (aluminium AS7G-silicon-carbide), density 2.95 |
| Bezel | Secured by 8 screws |
| Dial | Skeletonised, Arabic numerals with luminescent dot accents |
| Hands | Luminescent, skeletonised |
| Crystal | Sapphire; sapphire display back |
| Water resistance | Not established |
| Weight | 29 g without strap |
| Strap | Rubber |
| Edition | 25 pieces |
| Year | 2005 |
Buying with HYPA
Purchase with confidence
- Manufacturer warranty confirmed from the warranty card
- Insured worldwide delivery
- Payment by bank transfer or cryptocurrency
- Registered Australian dealerHYPA International Pty Ltd · Victorian Second-Hand Dealer Licence SHD-0018017.
- Direct specialist supportSpeak with the HYPA team before, during and after the purchase.
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