Richard Mille

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Richard Mille RM053: Pablo MacDonough.

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There was a definite polo theme to the Richard Mille booth at SIHH and with good reason. The other watch being released was the RM053 Pablo Mac Donough. Created for the world’s top polo player and the lead player in the Richard Mille polo team. The design is unusual and a departure from the norm. As usual with Richard, there is a good reason for this. To learn about the pressures on a watch during polo Richard handed over an RM010 to Pablo and asked him to play with it over the season. What came back was a mangled watch that looked as if it had been run over by a truck. The crystal was cracked, the case was scratched and battered, and the time keeping was off. Polo turned out to be a harder contact sport than originally envisaged.







New thinking was required. Richard kept the classic case shape as that was basically resistant to shocks. However, the watch face and movement had to be protected from the forces acting on it. Hence, the shape of the canopy that covers the case; without it, the movement and watch face would be unprotected. The case is made from titanium, while the canopy part of the watch is made from titanium carbide. Titanium carbide is an extremely hard (Mohs 9-9.5) refractory ceramic material









The movement is mounted and the watch face is shown at 30 degrees to the horizontal. This is unusual and the result of testing both an ordinary watch and learning about the forces on a watch from the RM038. While the movement is mounted laterally within the case (the second hand is to the left and connected directly to the escapement), the main shock absorption comes from the bracket that is connected to the back of the case. It is highly resistant to wear, corrosion and oxidation, and is usually used for the cutting piece or drill bit rather than a material for a protective covering.

What will be interesting is what happens when the watch returns in a year (as the sports ambassadors with Richard are required to do) and is taken apart and examined for the wear and tear elements. It is how the watchmakers at Richard Mille learn from the watches being worn in the competitive environment.

The limited edition is for 15 watches.