Overview

White Carbon TPT® bezels over a dark caseband, calibre RMAR1

The RM 030 was introduced in 2011 as Richard Mille’s first application of a declutching automatic winding system, a mechanism the brand spent four years developing from the torque sensor already used in its tourbillon watches. The tripartite tonneau case carries a sapphire dial over the skeletonised calibre RMAR1, with the winding on/off indicator at 12 o’clock, the power-reserve indicator at 9 o’clock and the date aperture at 7 o’clock.

The case is White Carbon TPT®, the designation Richard Mille uses where Carbon TPT® is combined with white Quartz TPT®. The two are made by the same layering process — Carbon TPT® from carbon fibre, Quartz TPT® from silica thread — and it is the silica that carries the white. That is what the watch shows: striated white bezels front and back, with the caseband and crown in the darker material.

Key details

Design and engineering

• White Carbon TPT®Carbon TPT® alone is black; the white comes from the silica-based Quartz TPT® paired with it. Machining across the plies exposes the layer structure, so the striation pattern differs from case to case.
• Declutchable variable-geometry rotorThe winding barrel is disconnected from the rotor’s winding mechanism once the mainspring is fully wound, in place of the conventional sliding-flange arrangement that allows debris to accumulate inside the barrel. The rotor declutches when the power reserve reaches 50 hours and re-clutches when it falls to 40.
• Winding indicator at 12 o’clockThe indicator reports whether the rotor is in its winding phase (on) or disengaged (off).
• Variable-geometry rotor constructionArm in grade 5 titanium; weight segments in high-palladium-content 18K white gold with six positions adjusted by grade 5 titanium screws; ceramic ball bearings; unidirectional anticlockwise winding.
• Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titaniumSkeletonised and separately validated for strength. The alloy is 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium.
• Case productionThe case requires 86 swaging operations, of which 49 are striking, before the cutting and milling phases for the three main components. Machining calls for 20 hours of settings and 30 hours of kit programming; the empty case requires more than 255 tooling operations and over five hours of glazing and polishing. Engraving the Richard Mille name on the inside curve of the caseback takes 45 minutes per case.
• Movement mountingNo casing ring is used. The movement is mounted on chassis mounting rubbers (ISO SW) fixed by four grade 5 titanium screws.

Specifications

Technical specifications

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.

Continue browsing

Related references

RM 030

Richard Mille · RM 030 WG Full Setting

RM 030

Richard Mille · RM 030 White Rush

RM 30-01

Richard Mille · RM 30-01