After the ultra-light trilogy produced for Rafael Nadal, the RM 035, the RM 035-01 and the RM 035-02, last month Richard Mille launched the RM 035 Ultimate Edition, so-named because it will be the last in the series. The number 4 has been a virtual second skin on Alexis Pinturault’s wrist since April 6th when Tim Malachard delivered it to him from the Breuleux factory in the Swiss Jura. “In the beginning, Alexis skied with an RM 010, and we then adapted a prototype of the Nadal that we had at Breuleux, and RM 035 in aluminium and magnesium that was therefore slightly less thick and much lighter. He took to it immediately and asked if he could keep it for his competitions, which he did for three years. After this he asked if it would be possible to make it even lighter. It was at that point that we developed this version in NTPT carbon (which stands for North Thin Ply Technology), a composite material that had never before been used in watchmaking and is both lighter and tougher. Its nano-layers of carbon are no more than 30 microns thick and are covered in resin and then structured in a highly sophisticated manner and heated under pressure. When Richard Mille says high tech he means it.
The two Richard Mille RM 67-02 watches weigh only 32g each, which makes them Richard Mille’s lightest automatic watches ever. This is accomplished due to ultra lightweight materials utilized through the watch. The brightly colored top and rear sections of the case are made from super light but strong Quartz TPT, as we have seen before in watches like this RM 35-02 watch for Rafael Nadal, while the case middle is made from Carbon TPT. But that is not all. The screws used to secure the case are created from Grade 5 titanium and so are the foundation plates and bridges used from the movement.It also helps that the RM 67-02’s instance is rather petite (for a Richard Mille, at least). Case diameter is 38.7mm and 47.5mm lug to lug. Water resistance is only 30m, therefore it needs to be able to withstand sweaty athletes – if not much more liquid than that.The two watches are actually identical and only differ in terms of colours, which – even though they might seem similar to flavors of ice cream – reflect the flags of these athletes’ countries. The Richard Mille RM 67-02 Sprint, which was made for Wayne van Niekerk, is decorated with the colours of the South African flag and features a vivid green case with yellow accents. On the other hand, the Richard Mille RM 67-02 High Jump, made for Mutaz Essa Barshim, is adorned with the colours of the Qatari flag and features a deep red case with white bands.Powering that the 2 watches is the grade CRMA7, a skeletonized self-winding movement that is made largely from titanium. The rotor is made out of Carbon TPT to reduce weight, but the endings are made out of white gold to ensure twisting efficiency. The motion has an extremely specialized and somewhat industrial look, but it is really very highly completed with micro-blasted sinks and anglage, gray and black electro-plasma treatment for your baseplate and bridges, circular finishing on the wheels, and much more as is to be expected from Richard Mille.
Chic but above all shock-proof
“The equipment worn by Alexis implies specific constraints: he wears a suit and gloves, so he needed a timepiece that was both light and robust to withstand shocks when his wrist hits the poles at more than 60 km/ hour during slalom. Sometimes the blows are so violent that the movement once stopped as a result of the impact, but the case withstood everything and the crown wasn’t torn off nor the crystal broken. It’s harder for the wristbands that he sometimes shatters altogether and we have made him a Velcro version.” The model in which the movement stopped was analysed at the factory so that we could understand what happened, as is the case with all the ambassadors’ models in other disciplines. “A skier has a far greater range of movement than a racing driver for example and we have understood that skiing shocks reach quite incredible proportions, compared to those that might occur during tennis, motor racing, golf or even polo. Our engineers have learned technical lessons with regard to reinforcing this Chronofiable calibre and which are useful for all future developments. But for Alexis above all, his new NTPT carbon watch is trimmer than ever and he can feel it even less than its predecessor.”
There is life after the Ultimate Edition
Whether they cover lifestyle, skiing or watchmaking beats, the few journalists selected to meet Alexis Pinturault during the specially organised press event at Courchevel were full of praise for the ski champion’s open, attractive personality. For Tim Malachard who has extended his sponsorship contract by three years, “Alexis has at least ten years ahead of him and there is no reason that we wouldn’t remain loyal”, as indeed has been the case with Filipe Massa since 2004. Into the bargain, the head of Richard Mille Watches India Replica does not discount the possibility of designing a specific watch for Alexis Pinturault, because “we are aiming for the long term with him. It’s simple, he has his head squarely on his shoulders, he likes our brand and he is obsessed with technique. He also provides advice with regard to comfort and ergonomics.” Off the record, the brainstorming that takes place on Courchevel chairlifts also concern joint developments with regard to skiing. “We talk about a hundredth of a second for both Alexis and Richard Mille. He is also very sensitive to materials, and when it comes to his equipment supplier, Head, he works directly with the engineers, as we do with ours or those at McLaren for example” continues Tim Malachard. “There are engineers who are entirely dedicated to him at Head, in order to design skis for combined, slalom, downhill and Super G races – each of which have different criteria. He uses between 60 and 80 pairs of skis in a season and they guarantee him personalised technical support. At Richard Mille, we love that.”
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