Richard Mille

redshift75
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Chrono use

I am the second owner of this RM004. So far it is working perfectly. I have used the chrono a few times, but certainly not trying to test its longevity, since that seems pointless, as every complicated watch can be tested to failure if you try hard enough, whether its a minute repeater or a rattrapante.

On this topic in particular, I think it is worth asking what the expectation for the chrono is - the specifications of the RM004 state that the movement needs to be serviced every 3-4 years, since inevitably things will need to be oiled, realigned, and adjusted over time. So, by suggesting to use the chrono 'often', to me this just means accelerating the time between the service intervals, which inevitably are required for a complicated watch. You are effectively just applying more wear & tear to the movement than is normal.

I have not owned any other split second chronos, but I am sure if you were to take a PP5959 or a L&G double split, and cycle the chrono a thousand times, you will likely run into some malfunction pretty soon .. and it will have to go back for service. These are delicate machines with hundreds of tiny parts working in very delicate balance, and they should be treated with respect. Or am I mistaken here?

I am very curious to hear people's thoughts on what constitutes normal use of the chrono and what is abuse.

One thing I do agree about is that 6 months is far too long a service time for the watch to not be returned perfectly functioning .. that needs some explaining. In particular, I think that in this circumstance the watch should be replaced with a new one that has been QC. If I spend this kind of money on a watch, I deserve to be getting maximum wrist time for it.

With regards to my watch in particular and taking a leap of faith - I checked out the watch history carefully and was satisfied with that, and I am willing to accept that the watch will need to be serviced at some point, as normal with any watch. In addition, I am bought into the fact that RM will upgrade the watch as improvements are made, and I truly believe that the movement in this watch is second to none, as is the design and look which I fell in love with when I started with RM and the 010.

By the way, if you have are thinking about buying the 011 instead of the 004, and you are in the fortunate circumstance to choose among these, then I would highly recommend you go with the 004, if you are mentally ready for that. I owned one of the first 011, and while it looked great, the quality of the movement and its complication is like night and day between these two. In fact, in terms of 'value', even though the 004 is significantly more money I feel like it is truly worth it because of the time that goes into the manufacturing. In the case of the 011, you are basically buying a standard modular chrono movement that has been tweaked up and embellished, but nothing fundamentally different from what you would find in a ROO or similar. This is taking nothing away from the 011, it is an awesome looking watch, but I just don't see these as comparables. When you are looking at an 004 you are dealing with a different level of watchmaking and mechanical prowess, with all the caveats that come with that. Unfortunately this translates to difficulty in assembly/tuning/service .. its a price you might have to pay.

in closing - to each his own.