Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor

Keep your mind moving. More than a mantra, it offers a compass oriented towards unfettered and uncompromising creation. For Richard Mille, every challenge must always be met with panache. Experience and expertise form an indispensable duo for giving form to this ambition; the new RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is its manifestation. The sequencing of its genome is known. Its predecessors incorporated innovations dedicated to efficiency. Each component, from the declutchable, variable-geometry rotor and function selector, to the power-reserve indicator, contributes to a superlative design. Complexity serves purely to enhance ease of use. On this new model, the level of finishing achieved underscores the watchmakers’ pursuit of perfect craftsmanship and desire to continually push back technical limits. Precision and performance are their distinguishing mark. Both are displayed on the dial and can be appreciated in real time.

Acquiring skills and valuing human experience. For the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor, a team of talents worked together like an orchestra brilliantly led by a virtuoso conductor. At Richard Mille, precision is the key to fashioning ever-more innovative timepieces. Here, as in previous creations, every detail counts. Subtlety underscores style. Each nuance added contributes to a harmony in which mechanics and aesthetics work in symbiosis.

Expanding horizons, enhancing aptitudes

Exploration and innovation serve as remarkable beacons for Richard Mille. The course is mapped out towards a distant and borderless watchmaking destination, located off the beaten track and away from the paths of conformity. For the brand, the purpose of taking a detour is not to find a shortcut. Rather, it fosters experience and plumbs the feelings associated with an unbridled imagination. It even encourages a powerful return to the essential

One after the other, the watches thus consolidate lessons learnt. There is no room for chance. Richard Mille’s story is based on choices. Consulting its previous chapters helps to discern what is to come. Accordingly, like its predecessors, the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor benefits from the many artistic and technical options developed and adopted, piece after piece. Future models will likewise inherit creative alternatives inspired by this new watch.

As is the case with every development, this evolution of the RM 030 has not forgotten its roots. Better still, it strengthens them. The RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor stays true to Richard Mille’s key values. Mechanical complexity boasting infallible reliability serves purely to enhance ease of use. Lightness and ergonomics contribute to comfort for the wearer. The understated style, set off by a discreetly appealing play of colours, ensures exemplary legibility.

The curved tonneau-shaped case has continued to evolve over the years. Always with finesse and justification. Its ideal dimensions provide fertile ground for the use of technical materials, with calibres that relentlessly raise the level of technical expertise. The striking curves of the RM 30-01’s movement extend into a curvilinear perspective, inviting the line to continue its course and avoid breaking the field of vision. After all, isn’t the aim to arouse a sense of visual pleasure, to appreciate the gears in action?

The function selector finds its place on the caseband, and the two enter into symbiosis. This mechanism is paired with a skilfully reworked crown. The RMAR2 calibre draws on layering and delicate contrasts of grey and black. Its redesigned skeletonised design features exclusive geometry that creates a graphic balance on several levels, inviting the movement’s bridges to take part in a remarkable scenography imbued with perspective and depth. The typography used for the numerals and the cartouche displaying the name of the model make a clear statement.

In 2023, the RM 30-01 makes its entrance in Richard Mille history. A fusion of the RM 029 and the RM 030, which are leaving the collection, this model benefits from a holistic approach and thus naturally finds its place at the heart of the collection. It adopts the brand’s fundamental principles. Its aesthetics and calibre form a time machine. Its mechanical assets and visual identity are made to last, like an instant classic

Transcending one’s principles

‘Only image formed keeps the vision’.* The form of Richard Mille watches draws its roots from the desire to think outside the box, to reject diktats. Many models are the result of an encounter, an open and budding friendship. A genuine catalyst, human relationships permeate the development of an objet d’art right down to its final assembly. Richard Mille watches generate emotion and heighten the sensory experience.

(*Heiddeger)

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti RG/082 (bezel)

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti RG/082 (caseband)

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti RG/082 (caseback)

The tonneau shape evokes a sophisticated past. Richard Mille has successfully modernised it, rooting it firmly in the 21st century. The case of the RM 001 Tourbillon prescribed this new aesthetic, while that of the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor demonstrates the pertinence of this choice. Over the passing years and models, it has established itself as an obvious choice.

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti (bezel)

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti (caseband)

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Ti (caseback)

RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor

The RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor embodies over two decades of perfectly mastered technical expertise. The elegance and assets of the two variations forge its timeless yet contemporary style, beyond fashion and passing trends. Its case adopts the iconic and elegant tonneau shape. Its grade 5 titanium caseband is combined with a caseback and bezel fastened using 20 spline screws, both machined in this hypoallergenic material boasting spectacular resistance to corrosion and shock. Richard Mille offers a refined alternative that marries this robust alloy with the same elements fashioned in red gold.

The choice of these materials is no accident. In addition to their intrinsic properties, grade 5 titanium and red gold are enhanced by some truly admirable finishes. Their satin-finished surfaces, polished bevels and delicate shades interact with the architecture of the self-winding movement. All the remarkably executed decorations highlight the structure of the new skeletonised RMAR2 calibre. The case’s nuanced restraint represents the brand’s mechanical world and is an invitation to discover its finer points

Accordingly, this calibre incorporates a composition in relief. On top, a pair of wide openworked hours and minutes hands turn with rigour and precision. Their finish, adorned with white luminescent material, delivers comfortable legibility under any conditions, whether in broad daylight or at twilight.

An off-centred aperture at 4 o’clock gives the oversized date an ideal window for reading off information. The presence of a sapphire-crystal dial allows the inner workings, including the two DLC-treated titanium discs that make up the calendar, to be admired.

The revisited organisation of the temporal data can be taken in at a glance. It is possible to quickly see how much energy is available, or if this energy is optimal for the calibre to function properly, by placing the model’s primary function – the declutchable rotor – at the centre of the timepiece.

RMAR2 Calibre

The indicator dominating the calibre provides real-time information about the movement’s power reserve. If the small central hand featuring a red tip is pointing at the blue section, between 40 and 55 hours, the calibre’s energy efficiency is in its most favourable zone. In this way, the power-reserve indicator offers optimal winding control. The clutch engagement indicator located at 11 o’clock provides the possibility of checking the different phases. It tells the wearer whether the titanium or white-gold weight is in the winding phase (on) or disengaged (off).

The function-selector indicator recalls which function has been activated using the pusher integrated into the caseband at 2 o’clock. The W mode serves to wind the calibre, while date correction is triggered when the dedicated hand points to D. Meanwhile, the hands of the RM 30-01 can be set in the H position. Here, the selection cam has been unveiled to give the wearer the pleasure of contemplating the kinematics of the timepiece, as on the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport.

Moreover, subtle touches of colour add dynamic energy to the display. Orange adorns the hour-markers and tips of the sweep-seconds hand, while blue encircles the date and highlights the numbers 6 and 12.

Quality is evident in the details. With the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor, Richard Mille is perpetuating this philosophy and enriching the lexicon of contemporary fine watchmaking.

Constant innovation at the heart of the RMAR2 calibre

A genuine modern kinetic sculpture, the RMAR2 calibre distils the excellence of Richard Mille’s expertise. Layering the grade 5 titanium bridges creates maximum volume, while all curves have been eliminated. The straight lines created in the parallel segments – 12 to 3 o’clock and 9 to 6 o’clock – contribute to an inventive geometry. The diamond structure thus created energises the design.

RMAR2 Calibre (front)

RMAR2 Calibre (back)

The RMAR2 calibre orchestrates the most essential time information: hours, minutes, seconds and oversized date. A double-barrel system ensures enhanced torque stability. The declutchable variable-geometry rotor produces the necessary on demand energy.

RMAR2 Calibre (declutchable rotor)

The variable-inertia balance guarantees excellent reliability in the event of shocks and improves precision over the long term. The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable calibration of the inertia is possible thanks to four small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

The function selector, meanwhile, provides the RM 30-01 versatility of use. This indicator first appeared on the RM 002-V1 and has gradually come to feature more widely on automatic Richard Mille timepieces. In concrete terms, it is no longer necessary to pull the crown into different positions to wind the watch or set the time. The pusher housed in the caseband allows you to choose the desired mode. The indicator positioned on the dial above the oversized date displays the chosen option at any time, like an automotive gearbox. From a technical point of view, this involved creating a multi-position clutch system controlled by the pusher. The selector operates on a cam activated by a rocker, which manoeuvres a sliding pinion. This specific gear system minimises the stress exerted on the crown

Energy efficiency in action

The declutchable variable-geometry rotor optimises energy management and is the jewel in the crown of the RMAR2 calibre. To check that the mechanism is functioning correctly, several indicators inform the wearer about its activity in real time. A clear, intuitive display ensures that all data is conveyed in an exemplary fashion.

In a conventional watch, the rotor subjects the barrel to strong constraints during the winding phases. When the mainspring is completely taut, all excess tension must be avoided. To circumvent this potentially damaging constraint, a sliding-clamp system can be activated when the mainspring reaches its maximum resistance. However, this creates a pile of debris inside the barrel after long periods of excessive winding, particularly in the case of a very active person. In the long term, this may impair the timepiece’s chronometric performance.

To remove any tension linked to winding, the RM 30-01’s rotor can automatically declutch, disconnecting from the winding mechanism when the mainspring is ideally wound. The mainspring thus accumulates energy optimally, without suffering these constraints.

RMAR2 Calibre (declutchable rotor)

This mechanism, which first appeared in 2011, is connected to the movement’s power-reserve indicator and offers ultra-precise winding control. It enables the calibre to function where the barrel torque benefits from the best constant torque/power ratio. It also allows the oscillating organ to operate with excellent chronometric performance.

In practical terms, integrated into the RMAR2 calibre, it automatically disconnects the rotor from the barrel once the power reserve reaches 55 hours. When energy starts running short, as soon as the 40-hour threshold is reached, the rotor reengages to rewind the barrel spring. The torque of this component thus enjoys the best constant torque/power ratio.

Clutch engagement and power-reserve indicators

The clutch engagement indicator positioned at 11 o’clock is the control centre for managing the calibre’s energy and makes it possible to know whether the rotor is operating (on) or is disengaged (off). Its manufacture and miniaturisation represent a real technical feat. When the power reserve reaches 55 hours, the rotor is automatically declutched via a dedicated mechanism. At this stage, the rotor is uncoupled from the barrel. The power-reserve indicator in the centre of the dial informs the wearer how much energy is available.

Function selector

Inspired by automotive gearboxes, the function selector is easy to use thanks to a pusher integrated into the caseband at 2 o’clock. The wearer may choose to either set the time, wind the calibre or set the date. This system minimises constraints on the crown, and there is no longer any interference possible between the movement and the crown’s functions.

The oversized date

The oversized date display is located at 4 o’clock in an off-centre aperture that provides the ideal opening for easy reading of the numerals.

Declutchable variable-geometry rotor

Boasting a high-performance variable-geometry system with 5 positions that can be adjusted using grade 5 titanium screws and ceramic ball bearings, this type of rotor optimises the winding of the mainspring for the wearer’s level of physical activity. Adjusting the position of the wing changes the inertia of the rotor: this operation either accelerates the winding process in the case of leisurely arm movements, or slows it down during sporting activities.

Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium

Thanks to its aluminium and vanadium content, microblasted grade 5 titanium imbues the baseplate with high rigidity and excellent flatness, both of which are essential to perfect functioning of the going train. The skeletonised baseplate and the bridges underwent exacting tests to verify their resistance capacity.

Tonneau case Its lines and rounded curves have become an aesthetic signature. Whether in grade 5 titanium or a subtle combination of grade 5 titanium and red gold, its finishes highlight the slightest detail of its complex design.

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor (titanium)

Technical specifications

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor

Reference: RM 30-01 Ti/001

Case

Material: Grade 5 titanium
Dimensions: 42 x 49.94 mm
Thickness: 17.59 mm
Flange in carbon fibre and DLC-treated titanium with markers filled with an approved luminescent material
Glass: Sapphire crystals (1,800 Vickers) with an anti-reflective coating (both sides)

Dial and hands

Openworked

Movement

RMAR2 calibre: self-winding skeletonised movement with hours, minutes, power-reserve and clutch engagement indicators
Power reserve: Circa 55 hours (± 10 %)
The power-reserve indicator is located in the upper-left corner of the dial.
Movement dimensions: 31.25 x 29.45 mm
Thickness: 5,41 mm
Number of jewels: 38
Balance: Glucydur®, 4 arms, moment of inertia 4.8 mg.cm² , angle of lift 53°
Frequency: 28,800 VPH (4 HZ)
Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium
Variable-inertia balance
Declutchable variable-geometry rotor
Double-barrel system
Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case

Functions/Indications

Hours, minutes
Oversized date
Function selector
Power-reserve and clutch engagement indicators

Strap and buckle

Black rubber strap with titanium folding clasp

MSRP

CHF 185'000

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor (rose gold)

Technical specifications

Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor

Reference: RM 30-01 Ti RG/082