RICHARD MILLE, RM-005, A TITANIUM AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH

Since its inception in 1999, the indie brand Richard Mille has quickly established a niche for itself on the back of its avant-garde movements and flamboyant case designs. Introduced in 2004, the RM-005 was the first automatic model from Richard Mille. It was available in 18k white or rose gold, platinum, or titanium during its production run and was powered by Cal. RM-005, a self-winding movement developed by the Fleurier-based Vaucher Manufacture.

This was no ordinary automatic movement, this was the first caliber to use a variable geometry rotor to suit different lifestyles – this device optimises the winding of the mainspring by adapting it to the user’s activities to prevent overwinding. The movement used a titanium baseplate making it extremely lightweight and was fixed to the case on shock isolating rubber mounts and Richard Mille screws, as opposed to a traditional casing ring.