Richard Mille Unveils the RM 70-01 Tourbillon Alain Prost Japanese Movement Replica

This mentioned, I can still enjoy it for what I mentioned previously: to get this type of detail within this amount, you either go for a close six-figure watch or you’ll miss out. Having seen so many manufactures and managed so many costly watches, it is mind-numbingly intricate and difficult-to-make details like this that are what really make a watch stand out from the rest. And if there’s anything that I do appreciate at a Richard Mille view, it’s you could kind of get lost in it and hope to detect these details even weeks after sporting the watch.And I am sorry, but a conventional watch with a traditional exterior must possess one totally amazing movement to warrant a similar six-figure price — and again, a lot of collectors who today are buying (and sporting) Richard Milles do this because a new dial on a 5270 often just isn’t exciting enough when on additional watches anywhere you look, you see detailing which will never be current on proudly traditional watches. Before you light your torches and pull out your pitchforks, I’m not saying one is superior to another, or you shouldn’t exist and the other needs to, but rather that beyond the show-off component, there’s another reason why Richard Mille watches (and others, like an MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual or Urwerk UR-110, et cetera) do this well at a period while others struggle.What leaves room for criticism concerning the case itself is the fact that 18k white gold scratches if you look at it the wrong way — things harder than white gold comprise melting ice, or even the Queen’s royal selection of feather pillows. The ceramic alternative will not be that much better, however, will certainly offer you an improvement in this regard, at a cost of lost sheen that just precious metals can produce. Water resistance, regardless of the double-O ring crown is rated for 30m. I keep saying all contemporary watches should have at least 100m depth rating, though the way things are moving, 30-50m appears to become the norm among non-dive watches.

In an unexpected twist, Richard Mille has unveiled a cycling-inspired watch for French Formula 1 legend, Alain Prost. Rather than paying homage to the most-watched aspect of his life, Richard Mille decided instead to focus on the lesser known passion of Prost. The four-time Formula 1 World Champion and co-founder of the Renault F1 e.dams team is, in fact, also a fanatic biker who has actively participated in the field of endurance cycling since his retirement.

Machined out of a composite known as carbon TPT, the RM 70-01 Tourbillon Alain Prost is, first of all, a left-hander that features a theatrical case shape, almost like a skewed tonneau that curves outwards when worn on the right wrist. But its asymmetry, shock value aside, not only ensures that the watch doesn’t prod against the forearm after long hours of wear while on the saddle, but also offers greater legibility while gripping the handlebar.

Alain Prost (1) © Luc Manago

Secondly, the new cal. RM 70-01 incorporates a mechanical odometer, a totaliser that displays the overall distance travelled by a rider up to to 99,999 kilometres. The odometer, however, requires manual input, with the millionaire cyclist-owner having to clock in the distance travelled to the prior total.

The figures can be adjusted by selecting any of the five rollers via the pusher at two o’clock, which also reverts the mechanism to a neutral position when not in use. The pusher at 10 o’clock then advances the selected roller by one unit.  When not in use, an arrow at two o’clock points to the neutral position, confirming that the odometer mechanism is locked.

RM70-01 FULLFRONT RGB

RM70-01 FRONT RGB

The 3Hz tourbillion cal. RM07-01 movement has a 70-hour power reserve, with a power reserve indicator at five o’clock powered by a planetary differential. As the totaliser occupies a great expanse of the movement, it was necessary for the barrel and the tourbillon to be positioned on the same axis to ensure that the movement remains as compact as possible, an identical movement construction as found in the RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon; the base movements of the two are similar.

It goes without saying that the watch is superbly light, with its base plate and bridges all made from grade 5 titanium. The bicycle theme permeates the entire design of the watch; titanium Allen screws were used to secure the bridges while the ratchet wheel, tourbillion cage and the dynamometric crown evoke a bicycle’s pedal.

RM70-01 CU COURONNE RGB

The case measures 54.88mm long and 49.48mm wide at its widest, with the woodgrain appearance the result of the production process for carbon TPT. Sheers of carbon fibre are stacked at an angle to one another, creating layers that are then set in a polymer. The case is then machined out of the resulting block of carbon composite, cutting against the grain to create the striated look.

Price and Availability

The watch is priced at US$815,500 and comes in a limited edition of 30 pieces. Each buyer will receive a limited edition C60 road bike, developed by Alain Prost and Richard Mille in partnership with the Italian bikemaker Colnago.