Ceramic is quickly becoming one of the most exciting materials in watchmaking. Not long ago your options were black, grey and possibly white, but lately you name a colour and you can likely find the ultra-hard, virtually scratchproof material in it. So far Hublot has dominated the colour conversation with bright blues and reds but now Richard Mille is turning their Avant Garde hand to a more pastel take with the RM 07-01 Coloured Ceramics.
The RM 07-01 is the brand’s more feminine take on their signature skeletonised, tonneau-cased, performance sports style and, despite being a bit slimmer and more elegant, they’re still very much Richard Mille. That means visible screws, a multi-layered construction and over the top industrial looks.
Here though, rather than flyback chronographs or tourbillons, colour is centre stage. Firstly, the TZP ceramic case is available in pastel blue, lavender or pink, all very feminine and summery. That’s only the beginning though.
Each dial is made from four distinctly different sections in different, differently coloured materials. There’s case matched ceramic of course, but also textured rubber and guilloché in different hues depending on the case colour, be that orange, red and lavender or turquoise, black and blue. The guilloché is particularly lovely with a botanical, art deco motif of which different parts are visible across the three models.
The dials themselves are supported from underneath rather than at the sides for a floating effect. I guess you’d call them flying dials. To finish the look – and add to the rainbow chaos – each watch has a bi-colour strap in two halves.
Inside all three pieces is the calibre CRMA2 which, while less colourful in black and silver with a rose gold variable geometry rotor, has been finished with skeletonised bridges of microblasted and electroplasma treated titanium. Yeah, it’s not just ceramic Richard Mille have a way with.
Honestly, I love these pieces. They’re a touch too feminine for me – if they were a bit bolder instead of pastel though I’d probably be tempted, especially as the 45.23mm (lug-to-lug that is) size is a good one. And better yet, there’s not a piece of candy in sight.
Price & Specs:
Model: Richard Mille RM 07-01 Automatic Coloured Ceramics
Case/Dial: 31.40 x 45.23 x 11.85mm, pastel pink, pastel lavender or pastel blue ceramic case, rhodium plated dial with a guilloché centre surrounded by microblasted ceramic and coloured rubber appliqués
Water resistance: 50m (5 bar)
Movement: Calibre CRMA2, automatic, 25 jewels
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power Reserve: 50h
Functions: Hours, minutes
Strap: Bi-colour strap in Cerulean-lilac, coral-tangerine or olive-aqua
Price/Availability: TBC, limited to 50 pieces each
More details at Richard Mille.
