Since 2021, Richard Mille and Ferrari have been working together as two engineering powerhouses in the pursuit of technical innovation, striking design, and peerless performance. In 2022, Richard Mille presented the first watch product of this partnership: the record-breaking RM UP-01 Ultraflat Ferrari, an ultra-thin timepiece a mere 1.75 mm thick.
Today, we bring you the second timepiece from Richard Mille's and Ferrari's partnership, combining a tourbillon and a split-seconds chronograph. The new Richard Mille RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari is limited to 150 pieces with two iterations in a 75-piece limited edition each. The first is in micro-blasted and polished grade 5 titanium with a Carbon TPT middle case and red accents—Rosso Dino and not Rosso Corsa. The second watch is in an entire Carbon TPT case—a lightweight and durable thin-ply composite used exclusively for Richard Mille—with yellow accents—Giallo Modena—, the second most important color for Ferrari as it is the color of the city of Modena where Enzo Ferrari was born and where the Scuderia Ferrari was created.
The Design Process
For this collaboration, Richard Mille worked very closely with Ferrari’s Centro Stile, who played an instrumental role in designing various key elements of the watch, from the general aesthetic to the details such as the crown, the hands, the strap featuring the pattern of the Purosangue seats, and even the movement that has bridges inspired by the 488 Crankcase from the SF90 Stradale. Thanks to Richard Mille and Ferrari's in-depth creative and technical design process, the new RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari weaves together a subtle but dynamic array of visual and technical elements that take their cues and transpose Ferrari’s DNA into the watch.
For instance, the corner space between seven and eight o’clock was deliberately left open during the movement's development so that a titanium plate could be laser-engraved with the ‘Cavallino Rampante’—Prancing Horse logo. The rear wing of the Ferrari 499P inspired the shape of this plate. Microblasted and satin-finished with polished bevels, the movement and dial demonstrate the brand's level of expertise, which is apparent throughout.
Other elements taken into consideration included Ferrari tail lights, air intakes, car panels, and even engine parts, as aforementioned.
The movement was designed with Richard Mille’s long-time partner Audemars Piguet Le Locle —APLL. The RM43-01 caliber brings multiple refinements to the split-second mechanism. Through intensive R&D and computer simulations, a new generation of components has been developed to optimize power consumption while delivering more consistent torque levels throughout the power reserve.
“A collaboration like this is as much predicated on similarities in values as it is on the visual similarities between a Ferrari engine or a component and the elements used in a watch,” Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari Chief Design Officer says. “In terms of performance, anything that has a technical purpose can also be beautiful. The concept of functional beauty is something that we really love.”
"The team from Ferrari worked very closely with our experts for two years on this new project. When we design a watch, we find new ways to increase the performance and to discover new materials that improve durability yet further. I have to say, it was incredibly stimulating to have Ferrari as our co-pilots on this adventure.”—Julien Boillat, Casing Technical Director at Richard Mille.
Things to Know About the Watch
The design shows a holistic approach from concept to result for the movement, case, and dial. Everything was created according to highly rigorous specifications. For example, a casing ring is no longer used, and the movement is mounted on chassis mounting rubbers fixed by titanium screws.
Over 600 sheets of Carbon TPT were used to create the Carbon TPT middle case for both watches and the bezels for the full carbon TPT model. The case of the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari measures 42.90 x 17.10 x 51.20 mm, and the dial is in satin-finished and micro-blasted grade 5 titanium with hand-polished bevels.
Meanwhile, the upper flange is in micro-blasted titanium with black galvanic treatment. This is the second time the Prancing Horse logo is included in a Richard Mille watch, along with a small ‘Ferrari’ logo on the back of the case.
Both watches are incredibly light, with a total weight under 100 grams. While the titanium and Carbon TPT model has a total weight of 96.5 grams—including the case, movement, strap, and clasp—, the full Carbon TPT RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari is lighter with a total weight of only 85 grams.
On the front side, the movement takes the place of the dial, where the titanium bridges have been skeletonized as much as possible to reduce the total weight of the caliber. On this side, the movement takes the shape of a V8 engine with angular exterior details of cars like the 488 Challenge Evo, the Daytona SP3, and the SF90 Stradale.
Elements of the case, such as the pushers and indexes, are inspired by tail lights. As with the tachometer that dominates a modern Ferrari dashboard, the skeletonized 30-minute chrono register stands out in the dial. Between 10 and 11 o’clock, there is a 70-hour power reserve indicator, the usual crown function selector at 3 o’clock—like a car’s gearbox, the function indicator allows one to see the winding, neutral, and hand-setting positions as the crown is pulled out—, and the latest addition to RM watches which is a torque indicator that supplies information about the mainspring’s tension between 12 and 2 o’clock.
Lastly, between four and six o’clock, the off-centered tourbillon escapement with a titanium carriage is enhanced by an innovative running seconds indicator that uses five radial blades that read against a 12-second increment index for 60 seconds.
The Movement
Turning the watch over reveals the manual wound calibre RM43-01 engineered from scratch for three years. Exceptionally lightweight and strong, its intricate architecture rests on a highly skeletonized grade 5 titanium baseplate, and its engine is supported by bridges produced from titanium and Carbon TPT. This movement provides 70 hours of power reserve and is equipped with the latest-generation split-seconds mechanism developed by Richard Mille and APLL—Audemars Piguet Le Locle.
Two 6-column wheels operate the different levers of the split-seconds function and optimize the chronograph’s operation. They also ensure optimized simultaneous movement, maximal function locking, and greater adjustment durability. In-depth studies on clamps' function also led to a specific clamp design. The traditional helical spring is replaced by a blade on the split-seconds wheel, a technical decision that reduces the variation in torque when the split-seconds function is activated. These developments considerably improve the timekeeping performance and halve the chronograph’s energy consumption by reducing arbor friction.
The metallic finish of the baseplate echoes the industrial precision of sand-cast engine components, while micro-blasted bridges recall the toughened matt surface of Ferrari engine covers. Angular structures, adorned with raised ridges, contrasting tonalities, and tiny X-shaped supports interspersed with golden hexagonal socket-head screws are a direct nod to the patterns, parts, and extruded details found on Ferrari engine blocks and crankcases.
For Richard Mille and Ferrari, the tourbillon split-second chronograph was the essential foundation for a new timepiece. It is rooted in the seamless fusion of two of watchmaking’s most complex and storied high complications: the whirling marvel of the tourbillon and the pinnacle manifestation of the chronograph with its dual seconds’ hands for recording split times, dazzling movement architecture and deep automotive heritage.
Both watches are comfortable and light on the wrist, and they, like most other Richard Mille watches, have superb ergonomics. As far as pricing goes, we feel that the watches should’ve been kept around the 1.2 million dollar price range, considering the pricing for other grand complications from the brand. Don’t get us wrong, the watches are incredible, and the amount of work that went into creating this calibre and movement architecture warrants the seven-figure price tag.
Sticker Price USD 1,535,000 for Carbon TPT and USD 1,300,000 for Titanium with Carbon TPT.
