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Richard Mille Launches New RM 30-01 Automatic Watch Featuring Declutchable Rotor

Richard Mille are the youngster on the horological scene.

Founded in 2001, Richard Mille founded his eponymous brand to the great admiration of the horological community. Starting with their first ever release, the RM 001 Tourbillon, the watches were originally limited to 17 pieces. Featuring two incredible aspects, an automatic movement baseplate in titanium and a function indicator with winding neutral and hand-setting positions, they got off to a flyer.

They are so big and pricey, that all their timepieces have been linked with the “Billionaire’s Handshake”. This means that since they are all so expensive, to own one is to be included in a special club of very wealthy individuals. Technologically, the brand has excelled. Releasing the RM 006 which was the first timepiece to have a carbon baseplate, the material has revolutionised the industry due to its impeccable lightness and durability.

They have linked with the likes of Golf legend Bubba Watson, who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014. The pair have connected and developed with his left handed playing style, subsequently releasing three watches, the RM 038 Tourbillon, The RM 38-01 Tourbillon G-Sensor and The RM 55. The latest RM 55 is capable of withstanding accelerations of up to 500Gs, perfect for a man with such a powerful drive! You can buy an RM 55 on the secondary market for around £300,000 at the time of writing.

The RM 012 was launched in 2006 in a highly avant-garde tubular case that's capped at 30 pieces in platinum. Winning the "Aiguille d'Or" award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2007, Richard Mille has cemented themselves as a true horological icon…and in such a short space of time.

In 2010, The RM 027 tourbillon was made in collaboration with Rafael Nadal and is the lightest mechanical watch at just 19 grams.

The achievements of the brand are also forged from its cultural links. Pharell Williams wore his Richard Mille RM 88 Smiley during the iconic Grammy’s award show or incredible pieces for sportsmen in the heat of battle like The RM 011 Felipe Massa that was made with Roberto Mancini and Jean Todt as well as the RM 053 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough in 2013, the number one Polo player, boost the variation of the brand.

Linking in with McLaren in 2017 with the RM 50-03 McLaren F1 as the lightest mechanical chronograph ever made at under 40 grams, we thoroughly enjoy the innovation of the brand. How about The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari that’s sized at 1.18mm and made as the thinnest mechanical movement ever made? Are they the Manchester City of luxury watches? Perhaps. The true innovation kings, RM are in the fore of pioneering materials and outlandish design that has seen them flexed by Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin Hart and Jay-Z.

After the first timepiece launched in 2011, Richard Mille has gone Back To The Future with the RM 30-01 in a fresh red gold and titanium casing. Complete with a declutchable rotor, what does this mean for the performance of the watches?

Let’s get straight into it.

History of The RM 30

We know that Richard Mille is highly disruptive when it comes to the horological world. More like the Logan Paul of the timekeeping world but with worthy hype!

RM 30 - Source - Brands Site

They’ve pushed the boundaries of luxury watches since their inception, but one of their treasures is the RM 30 which was originally launched in 2011 with a highly innovative declutchable rotor.

The RM 30’s declutchable rotor boasts the technical skill of Richard Mille, especially since it combines a torque sensor that was originally designed for tourbillon watches, and has since been involved with automatic editions.

The original RM 30 was powered by the Calibre RMAR1 automatic movement. Obviously skeletonised as per Richard Mille’s typical openworked design, the automatic movement showcases hours, minutes, seconds, date, a winding indicator and a power-reserve indicator.

Offering a power reserve of 55 hours, the watches are given a grade 5 titanium baseplate and bridges. You insightful horophiles will know that grade 5 titanium is perfect for an automatic movement due to its extreme durability and lightness, ideal for an everyday watch.

The case is designed with tripartite construction which is similar to the builds of Formula 1 racing cars, just with a tad more luxury on the red gold edition. Built upon 20 spline screws that are crafted out of grade 5 titanium and mounting rubbers that are built under the case, the watch resists shocks competently.

Of course, the real point of interest is the patented declutchable variable-geometry rotor.

Declutchable Variable-Geometry Rotor

So what exactly is this horological phenomenon? The declutchable variable-geometry rotor is used to allow for the mainspring in the automatic calibre to be rewound in order to compensate for the user's activity level.

Source - Brands Site

The second the power reserve reaches 50 hours, the rotor is automatically declutched, restricting the barrel from winding. However, when the power reserve drops down to 40 hours, the rotor clutches, allowing the watch to restart another winding phase. Talk about turning back time.

For clarity’s sake, traditional winding systems associated with other brands typically follow the design of a flange sliding inside of a winding barrel. The issue is that if full winding has been attained, harmful debris can build up inside the flange brakes on the winding barrels innards. This is particularly the case for those sports enthusiasts.

They spent 4 years creating the declutchable rotor that has the capability of declutching instantaneously, shifting the winding barrel and automatically disconnecting it from the rotor's winding mechanism in the automatic calibre the moment the spring is fully wound.

The RM 30-01 Automatic Watch. What’s Different?

In a lot of ways, the new RM 30-01 continues along the same timekeeping path as not only the RM 30 but their reputation as a whole.

Source - Brands Site

Keeping its ergonomic shape with its clean lines and delightful finishes in rose gold and titanium, the watches keep the design looking sharp and the technical features still up to scratch. The RM 30-01 is powered by the automatic calibre RMAR2. Entirely skeletonised, it powers the hours, minutes, seconds, oversized date, clutch engagement and power reserve indicators.

The power reserves remain the same at 55 hours while the baseplate and bridges are still made out of grade 5 titanium. Of course, this ensures that the automatic movement is corrosion resistant and exceptionally rigid. You’ll see this material in the aerospace and aeronautics industry.

What about the patented declutchable rotor? The RM 30-01 finds that when the power reserve reaches 55 hours, the rotor is declutched due to the cleverly built Richard Mille gear system. In addition, when the power reserve goes down to 40 hours, the rotor is re-engaged and starts winding the indicator until it reaches 55 hours.

The dials are still skeletonised. The dials are given a grey sheen grade 5 titanium base plates and bridges which are visible throughout. Glance at the burnished pivots and features which have PVD coating through the dial. Crafted in the new materials which boast the great skeletonised dial, this is the exact same as its predecessor, the RM 30. Well, Timelords. They look the same to us, right?

In fact, the main difference comes in the form of a new function selector switch on the right hand side of the dial. The RM 30 features a torque limiting crown which allows for the accidental winding of watches to be limited through its security system. Meanwhile, the new RM 30-01 automatic calibre instead features a function selector at 2 o'clock which bears resemblance to a car’s gearbox in terms of design.

To select the function, the very easy to use selector is altered using a push-button. This allows for the hands to be set, the date to be altered and the winding functions to be changed with a simple push. This is emphasised by the “W” which stands for winding “D” Date correction and “H” for setting the hands.

How Much Is A Richard Mille RM 30-01?

You can buy a Richard Mille RM 30-01 in titanium at retail for around £166,000 at the time of writing

You can buy a Richard Mille 30-01 5N red gold edition for around £202,000 at the time of writing.

What’s Our View Of The New RM 30-01?

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears". No, not the strapline of Richard Mille but Mark Anthony from Shakespeare’s legendary play, Julius Caesar. It’s time to reveal our thoughts on the brand new RM 30-01.

Source: Brand’s site

First of all, it’s nice to see that over the two decades they have been in our eyeline, they are still committed to technical excellence, ergonomic dial and case design.

While the new styles of the RM 30 and RM 30-01 may not have drastically changed in terms of the case or dial, it’s very difficult to add to something that already has the design down to a tee! The case is made up of beautifully curved lines, adding to the complex geometry of the piece.

Undergoing satin-finishing, microblasting and polishing, the tonneau shaped case, dial and bezel follows the iconic shaping of its former glories. Its incredible lightness of 96 grams including the rubber strap means this piece is remarkably comfortable for a timepiece that houses so many features that’s as impressive as a Daytona Rainbow.

The new automatic movement offers a frequency of 28,800VpH and a solid power reserve of 55 hours. Supported with a elinvar balance spring and INCABLOC shock protection, the watches are incredibly reliable like a Zenith El Primero and accurate to a tremendous degree.

We personally have no preference when it comes to the new watches. Both are highly regarded precious metals and have properties such as rarity and exclusivity that are perpetually desired in the horological world. Both also have beautiful skeletonised dials, showcasing the inner workings, depth and beauty of the watches.

If you find that avant-garde skeletonisation is just far too modern for your blood, why not take a look out our other classic dress watches with round cases and dials, including The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon, the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6007G or the oh so fresh Rolex 1908?

Technical Specs Of The New Richard Mille RM 30-01

Chrono Hunter appreciates that you are all very busy people. So, to save time, here is a handy breakdown for those looking for a quick horological fix.

Model Name

Reference Numbers

Dial Colour

Strap

Material

RM 30-01 Gold

RM 30-01

Openworked - Grey/Black

Black Rubber Strap

Red Gold Case

RM 30-01 Titanium

RM 30-01

Openworked - Grey/Black

Black Rubber Strap

Titanium Case

	RM 30-01 Gold	RM 30-01 Titanium
Movement	Automatic RMAR2	Automatic RMAR2
Functions	Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Oversize Date, Clutch Engagement, Power Reserve Indicators, Function Selector, Declutchable Variable-Geometry Rotor	Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Oversize Date, Clutch Engagement, Power Reserve Indicators, Function Selector, Declutchable Variable-Geometry Rotor
Case Back	Sapphire	Sapphire
Water Resistance	50 metres	50 metres
Case Thickness	17.59mm	17.59mm
Crystal	Sapphire	Sapphire
Lug to Lug Measurement	49.94mm	49.94mm

Conclusion

There you have it, Timelords. We hope you have enjoyed us running through the fantastic new RM 30-01 automatic timepiece which features the highly innovative declutchable rotor. The declutchable rotor, as patented by this top luxury brand is a major technical innovation.

I’m sure you horological fans will know that automatic timepieces have a bad habit of winding past the point of optimal tension. After all, there is no system in place to negate such an affliction. The RM 30 and the latest RM 30-01 has the capability to disconnect the rotor when it’s fully wound, allowing the timepiece's mechanism to be preserved with consummate ease.

They have figured out how to do longevity with style. The beautiful precious metal like red gold is perfect for a piece that can be worn as either a sporty piece or a dress watch. Admittedly priced to quite an expensive tag, you are buying a watch that will last you longer and look stylish for generations to come.

So, you’ve fallen in love with the RM 30-01. The question is, how will you get your hands on such a desirable timepiece?

Want to buy a Richard Mille RM 30-01 in its red gold splendour? Want to enjoy the fantastic automatic movement with the incredible declutchable rotor. Buy a watch or sell a watch in the safest and most secure environment with Chrono Hunter.

With our peerless service and endless array of 5 star reviews on Trustpilot, you are in the best hands in the business! Contact us at any time and speak to one of our highly experienced team members to walk you through our buying or selling process or to discuss the schematics of your sale. It's about time to push that button and sell your Richard Mille for the best possible price or buy a Richard Mille and receive multiple offers from our trusted network of verified retailers!

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