The New Richard Mille RM 029 Automatic Big Date watch

The core of this Richard Mille timepiece is a brand new in-house caliber, RMAS7, which has been carefully developed for more than 10 months. The movement is equipped with 32 jewels and beats at 4Hz. The design for new caliber is based upon the principles of their older caliber movement, RM 011 chronograph caliber.

Despite the robust look, the new movement is incredibly light, as the baseplate, bridges and balance are crafted in grade 5 titanium. This titanium alloy has a chemical composition of aluminium, vanadium, iron, oxygen and titanium, which makes it s significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium while having the same stiffness and thermal properties. The use of the special Titalyt treatment ensures the perfect endurance, as it improves the hardness of the metal as well as its friction, wear and corrosion-resistance. Moreover, the Titalyt treatment results in uniquely colored case, which makes it distinct from other titanium watches.

The specific adjustable ribs are crafted in white gold, as well as the weight segment along the outer edge. The rotor’s ball bearings are made from a special and highly durable ceramic material. The power reserve bridge is coated in black PVD.

The choice of materials is very impressive, but the most interesting thing about the movement is probably the free sprung variable inertia balance, which makes the timepiece highly shock resistant. This type of balance provides better chronometrical results over an extended period of time, and greater resistance to shock or other disturbances during the movement assembly and disassembly.

The watch is available in titanium, 18-carat white gold or pink gold. The tonneau case has dimensions of 48 mm x 39.70 mm x 12.60 mm. The case is assembled with 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion resistant washers in 316L stainless steel. It is also sealed by three Nitril O-ring seals, and water resistant to 50 meters.

It takes more than 4 hours and bout 255 milling operations to compete the matching of the pieces. Only the case requires 47 stamping operations and the finishing work demands a full day of careful dedication. When everything is finally fitted, each piece undergoes an accurate quality control, which takes about 45 minutes to complete.