Richard Mille - RM 037 White Ceramic

0 0 Sunday 17 January 2021 Edit this post

The latest addition to the ever growing Richard Mille women’s collection is a new interpretation of its RM 037 model that combines, for the first time, white ceramic, mother-of-pearl and white gold.

White ceramic is used for the bezel and the caseback. In particular, Richard Mille uses ATZ white ceramic, where ATZ stands for Alumina Toughened Zirconia. This material is based on aluminium oxide powder tubes injected at a pressure of 2,000 bar. This high-pressure injection increases rigidity by 20-30% and reduces the material’s porosity to an absolute minimum.

Hypo-allergenic and one of the hardest materials in the world after diamond, ATZ ceramic is valued for its remarkable resistance to scratches, shocks and abrasion, as well as for its whiteness that does not change over time.

The manufacturing of complex shapes like bezel and caseback of the RM 037 is very challenging and requires a lengthy, delicate machining and diamond grinding process.

The resulting highly polished surfaces well highlight the distinctive tonneau shape of the case. The caseband is crafted from white gold, with satin finished surfaces that alternate to polished pillars.

Assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium, the tripartite case of the RM 037 White Ceramic measures 52.63 x 34.40 x 13.00 mm and offers water resistance up to 50 metres / 165 feet, ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals.

Protected by a sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment on both sides, the dial is embellished by mother-of-pearl and diamonds. It reveals details of its in-house CRMA1 skeletonized movement, including the two skeletonised calendar discs used to display the oversize date over a white field placed under 12 o'clock.

A push-button located at 4 o’clock allows one to select the winding, neutral and hand setting functions with a simple push in a manner similar to a car’s gearbox. An aperture located at 4 o’clock shows the function selected: W (Winding) - N (Neutral) - H (Hand Setting). The other push button at 10 o'clock corrects the date.

Beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and visible through the sapphire crystal on the caseback, the movement offers a power reserve of 50 hours (± 10%). It has baseplate and bridges in black PVD-treated grade 5 titanium and is equipped with a variable-geometry rotor in 18-carat 5N red gold.

A patented stem-crown construction allows the integrity of the movement to be fully guaranteed and protected from external influences, since it does not use a classical crown attachment going into the depth of the movement’s heart. In fact, the stem-crown assembly is not connected to the watch movement, instead it is part of the case.

A creation of rare refinement that combines a unique design and technical excellence, the Richard Mille RM 037 White Ceramic is available exclusively at Richard Mille boutiques worldwide with a price of CHF 158,000 excluding sales taxes. richardmille.com

Suggested reading:

- Richard Mille’s quest for innovation: hi-tech materials