The Richard Mille RM 65-01 Split Seconds Chronograph is the Swiss brand’s “most complex” timepiece. So complex the dial only has room for four Arabic indices. It’s a bit confusing sure, but fans of Dexter’s Laboratory are ecstatic. Oooooh! What does THIS button do? . . .
The Richard Mille RM 65-01 keeps track of hours, minutes and seconds; the date and a timed event. Is that it? A G-SHOCK owner wouldn’t get out of bed for a function set that small.
The Richard Mille RM 65-01 may look like a modern version of the Breitling Slide Rule, but it’s a stopwatch with a push-button for rapid winding. Let’s all say it together: we don’t need no stinkin’ push-button winder! Especially one that requires 125 presses to go from zero to 60 (hours of power reserve).
When it comes to justifying spending six or seven-figures on a Richard Mille watch, it’s not about functionality per se. It’s about showing the world that you have more mad money than a rapper (unless you are a rapper). I mean, showing your appreciation for a watch thicker than a ham sandwich that’s made of high-tech materials; a timepiece that turns its back on the Zac Brown’s assertion that life’s too short to be so damn complicated.
Ironically (hilariously?), the Richard Mille RM 65-01 defies legibility by trying to simplify legibility, complete with a function indicator (above).
All those colors splashed around here, there and everywhere aren’t meant to ape unicorn vomit. Everything painted orange is chronograph-related. Blue elements relate to your split seconds functions. Green bits are date window related. Red elements are for winding.
Red/green color blind billionaires are SOL. The Richard Mille RM 65-01 calms the f*ck down on the reverse of its 44mm by 49.9mm tonneau-shaped case. The caseback is a something of a disappointment. I reckon the movement cries out for some Tron-like lume. And a little Lightcycle zipping around its bridges.
As an early Christmas present to us, Richard Mille is showing its new RM 65-01, dubbed the most complicated automatic watch ever to leave its workshop. You wouldn’t immediately think that, would you? Even though the dial is the usual jumble of textures and colours that we’ve come to expect from this brand, you can make out the chronograph subdials of the watch easily. But, oh boy, is there a lot going on in there, let’s take a closer look. The case of the watch is made in the usual Richard Mille tonneau shape and measures in at 44.50mm x 49.94mm x 16.10mm. Thanks to its Carbon TPT case, where the case middle, bezel and back are made from carbon fibre, the watch will still be light on the wrist despite the bulk. A rubber strap with racing vents inspired by the world of motorsports keeps this watch snug on the wrist.
The calibre RMAC4 (developed with Manufacture Vaucher, based in Fleurier) features a baseplate and bridges made of grade 5 titanium for durability and resistance to corrosion., it’s also extremely light. The watch also has the signature variable geometry rotor, which allows the staff at Richard Mille to adjust the amount of movement the rotor does. This means that if you intend to use the watch as a part of your active lifestyle, such as playing Tennis, you can tell them to set it up that way and it’ll prevent damage to the winding components. As of yet, you can’t adjust this feature yourself. The movement also offers a 5Hz beat rate for accurate timing, but who cares really, it’s just crazy to look at.