A RARE AND UNUSUAL CURVED TONNEAU PINK GOLD ONE-MINUTE TOURBILLON WRISTWATCH WITH POWER RESERVE AND TORQUE INDICATOR DISPLAY, RICHARD MILLE, "RM002", CIRCA 2004

18k, tonneau titanium plate movement (Caliber RM 002-1), bottom plate finely hand-crafted in the form of a car engine, 23 jewels including 3 jewels set in screw-mounted chatons, two-arm glucydur balance with four setting screws, one-minute tourbillon cage crowned with two ceramic end-stones in white gold setting, adjusted to heat, cold and 5 positions, sapphire crystal dial with Arabic numerals and luminous markers, outer minute ring, skeletonized baton hands with luminous pointers one fan-form sector to the left of the barrel for 70-hour power reserve display, another fan-form sector to the right of the barrel for torque indication which measures the main spring tension (from 0 to 65 dNmm) and enables optimization of the movement's timing, function selector display between 4 and 5 for W (Winding), N (Neutral) and H (Hands / Time Setting), 3 functions all controlled by a push button located at the center of the crown, ergonomically 18k pink gold curved case with 4 lateral ribs for extra strength and rigidity, sapphire crystal display back to admire the superb craftsmanship of the movement, bezel and case back both secured by 4 titanium screws, case, dial and movement signed, with a brushed 18k pink gold Richard Mille buckle.  

A similar "RM002" in titanium (Lot 1668) was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 3 May 2005 at HK$ 1,020,000 (US$ 130,000).

RM002

Richard Mille first started his career in the watch industry in 1974. Inspired by the perfection found in the automotive field, Richard Mille finally created his first innovative and performance-oriented wristwatch based on the engine structure of Formula One in 2001, and has immediately become one of the most popular names in the watch industry. The current "Tourbillon RM002" offered at auction features a lot of unusual and sophisticated technical innovations that have never been implemented in any watches before, which include the titanium plate movement, torque indicator, variable inertia balance, fast rotating barrel and function sector. All these technologically advanced developments are not simply created to achieve a different conceptual approach in the watch field, but also to perfect and optimize the performance of the watches, as well as to enhance their precision and reliability. Due to the complexity of this unusual movement, production of the RM002 is limited to a very small quantity per year.