Richard Mille and McLaren have been working together for five years now, and they’re commemorating that milestone with the new RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail. The new watch is inspired by McLaren’s fastest road-going car.
“Richard Mille watches are known as ‘racing machines on the wrist,’ and that’s supported by the fact that there are so many similarities in the way we approach a problem, such as saving weight, reducing vibrational impact and minimizing resistance,” says Rob Melville, McLaren Automotive’s design director. “When it came to the RM 40-01, we had considerable input in sharing the highlights of the car and the philosophy behind it. With the Speedtail, we set out to produce a car that had an artistic quality to it. That has certainly come through in the watch, which beautifully mirrors the many various details of the Speedtail in its finish, materials and its uncompromising design.”
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McLaren turned to nature to find the form for the Speedtail, mimicking its most aerodynamic shape, the raindrop. The watch follows those same lines, including the bezel, whose lines parallel those of the car’s bonnet and the pushers, which copy the air outlets behind the front wheels. The upper crystal features a triple contour that helps to decrease the taper and the thickness of the bezel. The winding rotor, which is platinum and red gold, copies the Seedtail’s bonnet and the barrel setting by its roofline.
A hybrid powertrain that produces 1,070 horsepower powers the Speedtail, while in the watch there is an in-house developed automatic tourbillon. The movement features oversize date and function selectors. Richard Mille took finishing for the watch to a new degree, completing a mirror polish complimented by plain effects, as well as plenty of titanium and carbon TPT—in total, the case has 69 individual parts. The watch comes on a variety of straps, including alligator leather and ballistic materials with Velcro, but the main strap is made of black rubber. Just like the Speedtail, the RM 40-01 will be limited to just 106 units, with each being priced at 900,000 CHF (AUD$1.3 million).
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