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The brutal kind - a large weight hits the watch and movement at
a certain velocity - velocity and mass provide the simulation for the G-force movement shock to the movement. The R&D crowd keep doing that until the movement stops or they decide to stop!
Thanks
Andrew H
‘The Incredible Lightness of Being … Richard Mille’: the RM027.
The essence of the ‘Lightness of Being’ is that events are not repeatable. The mundane, the expected, the repetitive nature of life weighs you down; you become heavy. Just when you thought you had seen it all, just when you wondered where Richard Mille co...
First Contact
I first came into contact with the plans for the watch over a year ago. Richard was in London for some business with retailers, and I had the chance to talk to him. As the conversation moved from one topic to another, I asked him what was new. A glint in ...
His Dark Materials
At the research part of Richard Mille in Les Breuleux I was shown the various materials that had been tested, and found that they were either to be not durable enough, or not light enough; sometimes a combination of both. A veritable smorgasbord of new ma...
Lightness
Just about the whole movement is made from titanium aluminide. While the finish is the ‘industrial’ Richard Mille variety, it matches with the nature of the watch itself. The black back plate gives a stunning relief to the 3-dimensional aspect of the move...
Fantastic watch!
20 grams! I love it. I'll be watching tennis more closely now for sure! Thanks Andrew!
It is a fantastic watch - get to see it if you can Allen. I believe
that the debut will be at the French Open, but dont quote me on that as I am not sure. Thanks Andrew H
Awesomeness! I am loving light watches more and more...
Funny how 8 years ago I passed on a very rare Ti Sonnerie en Passant because it was too light! Very, very cool... Just one small niggling issue for me, though...it is a little too uncomfortably reminiscent of the Three Golden Bridges. Just a little... Tha...
Thanks for the kind words Thomas - more than
3 bridges because of the way the movement is suspended from the top of the case and the lack of the base plate to pin the 3 bridges. Here the bridges/suspension are integral. Further, the 3 dimensional aspect of this movement is far more pronounced. Get t...
Literate and emotional
Thanks for a great write-up, Andrew! Not everyone can reference Kundera, Neruda, Pullman, and the MacDougall theory all in one article... ...about a wristwatch. I sense that the RM027 is more than a watch for you, but is rather a tangible expression of th...
Daos - many thanks for the kind words and your own review..
you should get to see the watch if you can. This is very much my philosophy for a sports watch and for the purpose it was intended. Richard is the expert exponent of this genre and he has pushed the frontier further than anyone. I admire his 'lets see if ...
Great to see you here again John - get yourself down to
the NY dealer and see it - worth the mileage across town! Cheers Andrew H
Wouldn't a left handed version be better?
..since Rafa is left handed. Besides, With all the sweating involved, another type of case shape might be better. Having said this I find the watch absolutely beautiful. Take out the tourbillon, add a reasonable price and sell it as a limited edition and ...
No - the idea is that he wears it on the raquet hand...
as most of the world is right handed, then it makes sense to keep the crown where it is. But true on the allure of the piece. Thanks for reading. Andrew H
RM does it again.
What a piece of work! Not sure about that strap but everything else just says "yes!" to me. Thanks for sharing.
RM does! Strap is necessary because of the weight
and the need to be able to adjust it securely during a match if necessary (kept in place with velcro). Thanks for reading Davo. Andrew H
No idea I am afraid. My bet is that they might, and if you
are really interested, ask your dealer. That way, the wishes of the consumer will feed back directly to Richard Mille watches; enough demand, and the more likely it is to happen! Cheers Andrew H
Cool concept....
Thanks for the photos and bringing the latest news from Richard Mille! It's great seeing creative, new, and innovative ways for technical solutions. I look forward in seeing the final project and how well it does in the hands of Nadel. -MW
Thanks MW - I too will be interested in seeing
how it looks and performs on Nadals wrist. Cheers Andrew H
You're understood!
Andrew, This watch is indeed amazing! Once again I shall repeat my invitation for lunch. If Mr Mille is around in south Brittany I may invite him for some pancakes (but he must bring the watch of course). Cheers Dje
Sounds great! I am sure he will read the message. I think
the problem is finding the time. Try to see (and feel) the RM027 if you can. Is a fabulous watch. Thanks for reading Andrew H
Elementary . . .
. . . in the purest sense. The watches that hold the greatest resonance for me are those that challenge physical limits. Antimagnetic designs - particularly the Milgauss, but also many others - hold a special fascination as magnetism is the most mysteriou...
Thanks Art - appreciate the comments and yes, I think it is
because Richard's watches push the limits (with the design) that makes them so exciting. Andrew H
Wow what an awesome watch
Kudos to Richard Mille on this RM027! So now we have a watch we can safely wear when we play tennis, golf, basketball, etc. Simply awesome! Cheers, Anthony
Yes, but would you do it with the
price set where it is? I often wonder about this. I would opt for the positive - using the watch in the arena for which it has been designed, rather than leaving it in the safe. For the same reason that individuals (like Richard Mille and Dominique Guerna...
If I could afford the RM027, I would most definitely wear it
when playing tennis or golf. Money would not be an issue, so I could afford whatever the repair bill is once the 2-yr warranty period is over - AT
Thanks !
Great review of this RM027. I didn't like all the recent novelties but this 027 is Richard Mille at his best. Architecture, lightness, modern in every kind of way and coherent like no other. Fantastic !
Thanks Cisco - great watch - get to see it if you can: its
worth the trip! Cheers Andew H
Flawless!
You already know what I think about it. Speechless. Thanks for the report. Great pics. Vte
Great report, Andrew!
What a wonderful watch. I've never been that into tennis but there is no doubt I'll be scanning the internet for photos of Nadal wearing this beauty. It is great to see Richard Mille pushing the boundaries once again. Quick question, does the strap use a ...
Thanks Chris - yes, velcro to adjust securely and keep the
watch in place. Glad you enjoyed the read. Andrew H
Thanks for sharing...
while no one can dispute the technical prowess of RM, I can only wish that they did away with Nadal's name in front. Still a great watch and another breakthrough for RM!! Thanks again for sharing...
Thanks for the report Andrew.
There is too much plastic in that watch. But admittedly it is cool - kudos to Richard. - SJX
It is a cool watch - the plastic is being altered as this
is only the prototype. The watch to go to market will have a different casing material from the one in the photos and the one I think you saw in Geneve. Thanks for reading Andrew H
Shock Resistance
A beautiful watch and quite an achievement to get it to such a weight... Can you tell us about how is the shock reistance tested by the RM engineers? Thanks, John
The brutal kind - a large weight hits the watch and movement at
a certain velocity - velocity and mass provide the simulation for the G-force movement shock to the movement. The R&D crowd keep doing that until the movement stops or they decide to stop! Thanks Andrew H
wow amazing tech...
..not too sure on the looks of this watch...hands etc look a bit like a meccano set to me, better in some pics than in others, would love to hold one/try one on though and just feel it.Thanks for posting the report, fantastic news that RM is cracking on w...
Thanks Chris - believe me, if you saw this one in the flesh,
you would want it - it would make you smile! Andrew H
Very impressive
Thanks Andrew for the cool pics of the RM027. Very impressive at under 20 grams including the strap, and to have Rafael Nadal wear it under real-world conditions during tennis matches. Imaging the g-forces just on the 129+ mph serves, and then continual s...
As always Andrew...
..indeed thankyou for this report & pictures, fantastic stuff. Looking forward to seeing some wrist shots of Mr Nadal playing tennis in one surfacing before too long hopefully
Thanks ED - I too will be watching the developments on this
watch with great interest - hope it brings Nadal some luck into the bargain. Thanks for reading Andrew H
Incredible... and a question about "shock-proofing"
Love this watch very much! It's an incredible watch at an incredible weight but at an incredible price... Does anyone know how "shock proof" the other watches in the RM line are? for example, how shock proof is the RM011? I know that it has the Incabloc p...
Thanks C - they have been testing the watch, both
with the machines in the manufacture, and with it strapped to Nadal's wrist. They have tested up to 400G with no problems. As I said, its one thing to survive a one off shock, rather than repeated shocks (Nadal's wrist). The watch has survived both tests....
Brilliant!! Well spotted. Thought he was supposed to
wear the watch on his raquet hand, but perhaps not, or perhaps getting used to it! Great find and thanks. Andrew H
Maybe this will explain it...
Nadal has played tennis left-handed since he was 11, but he uses his right hand to sign autographs, wave, play golf, turn on video games and react fast to most things that require a hand. “Watch,” he said to me in Spanish one afternoon this spring, noddin...
Very cool explanation... like it and many thanks for
looking all this up. True about the two-handed back hand. The watch will be in for a punishing time whichever wrist it is on. Very cool find once again; and my thanks for posting it. Andrew H
Very interesting!!! I always thought Nadal's left handed...
.. but now it seems like he is naturally a right-hander, but trained his tennis around playing left-handed (which could be a good weapon against right-handers). Very interesting indeed!!