Richard Mille Just Dropped 4 Technicolor Sapphire Crystal Watches
Richard Mille is having fun again. The independent Swiss watchmaker is known for avant-garde designs and technical prowess, but in recent years, the company has also been having a blast playing around with color. In 2019, it debuted a collection of candy-themed watches in confectionary bubble gum pink and mint green, shocking the watch industry with a downright radical approach to six-figure timepieces (all of which sold out instantly). Last year, Richard Mille made a splash with its RM 07-01 watches inspired by Ettore Sottsass’s very distinctive ’80s-era Memphis Movement, which resulted in a kaleidoscope of geometric shapes and colors on dials set in ceramic cases that ranged from baby blue and cotton-candy pink to lilac with straps in teal, coral, and canary yellow. Following up on the hue-happy vibe, Mille just released four strikingly vivid sapphire crystal RM 07-02 models in lime green (two different versions in the color), lilac, and fuchsia.
Richard Mille was the first to make a watch case entirely of sapphire crystal in 2012, so the material is a bit of a specialty at the house. Creating colored sapphire crystal is an added layer of difficulty in an already challenging and expensive process. The material is a synthetic form of aluminum oxide, one of the hardest substances second only to diamond. As a result, cases have to be machined with diamond-tipped tools. It can take hundreds of hours to machine the material, and room for error is so slim that a small mistake can destroy the entire piece. Colored sapphire is even more difficult because achieving consistency in the hue is highly challenging and increases production time—one case can take over 1,000 hours just for the machining.
More from Robb Report
Turns Out Tiffany & Co. Bought That 'Titanic' Pocket Watch for $1.97 Million
Here's What I Learned About Rexhep Rexhepi While Visiting the Akrivia Atelier
Tom Brady's Rare Rolex 'Paul Newman' Daytona Raked in Over $1 Million at Auction
Colored sapphire crystal isn’t a novelty at the Swiss manufacture, however. It has been making a range of colors in the material since 2015. What’s new here is the lilac version and cool new dial designs. Diamonds, blue sapphires, and yellow sapphires are mixed with stones such as orange spessartite, white agate, or opal, as well as green tsavorite, chrysoprase, and malachite in chevron-style arrangements.
Beneath the eye-catching surface is the skeletonized CRMA5 automatic movement with a variable-geometry rotor, which means the watch winds by the activity of the wearer by the adjustment of two small weights. It boasts 50 hours of power reserve and features baseplates and bridges in either 18-karat red gold or white gold that are hand-microblasted and chamfered. And, just in case that’s not enough, even the oscillating weight is decked in diamonds.
What is fun and somewhat exceptional about these watches is their unisex appeal. While they might seem to skew toward women’s design, they are just big enough for men to rock while playing into the smaller sizing trend, though certainly not the trend toward quieter dress watches. Take, for instance, Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum’s lilac and canary yellow RM 07-01, which he recently showed off at a press conference in Abu Dhabi in October. Sporting unusual wrist candy has become par for the course with athletes—Dwayne Wade was spotted in a tiny Tiffany & Co. Eternity timepiece for the Academy Museum gala in October.
As a result of the trend, timepieces like these are becoming harder to come by, and these new RMs will be no exception. Only seven of each version will be available globally.
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
