Richard Mille RM 029 All Grey Boutique Edition ‘Yellow Flash’

10/06/2014 | By Frank Geelen | 2 min read |

Richard Mille’s RM 010 is an all-time classic by now and most watch connoisseurs recognize its tonneau-shaped case, with skeletonized movement and sapphire dial, instantly. Handling the red gold version for a few minutes, several years ago, was enough to be convinced of the superb quality and comfort. Yet Richard Mille believed it was possible to improve the RM 010, by adding a big date, resulting in the RM 029. Now there’s the RM 029 All Grey Boutique Edition ‘Yellow Flash’.

The RM 029 is recognizable like the RM 010, yet improved on some points. It’s case for instance is more than 1mm thinner and that’s notable on the wrist. The ‘overused date’ is also a real improvement, as it’s numbers are now positioned horizontally, instead of the vertically positioned date numerals in the RM 010’s date aperture. What strikes most is that Richard Mille’s watches are both aesthetically as well as technically designed to be the max, and do not simply conform to all classic Haute Horlogerie codes, yet set their own codes which are equally high.

While you will not see circular spotting (pèrlage) on Richard Mille timepieces, nor Côte de Genève, there are many other types of hand-finishing to be found on the movement parts AND case parts. Everything has been constructed according to extremely rigorous specifications, in the manner of the analytical engineering methods used in the design of Formula 1 racing cars: the chassis and the engine are developed in harmony.

Did you know that: the movement is mounted on chassis mounting rubbers, fixed by 4 titanium screws. That means that the movement is not fixed in a standard casing ring – the usual method to fix a movement in the case – and offers a better shock resistance.

Machining the front bezel, or the middle part, or even the case back of the three-piece case is rather difficult. It requires 47 swaging operations including 21 striking, 255 milling operations. The machining of just one case lasts 4 hours. The finishing, which is done by hand, costs one full day. Just saying…

The new RM 029 All Grey Yellow Flash features an ultra-light all grey microblasted titanium case in the classic tonneau shape. The skeletonised automatic movement is enhanced by yellow detailing on the dial and flange. The RM 029 All Grey Boutique Edition ‘Yellow Flash’ is a limited edition of 30 pieces and is only available at Richard Mille Boutiques in Geneva, Paris, London, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and comes at a retail price of € 75,500 Euro or £63,000 GBP (both including tax.)