RICHARD MILLE. AN EXTREMELY RARE PLATINUM LIMITED EDITION AUTOMATIC SKELETONIZED WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTER SECONDS AND DATE

Extremely rare and almost never seen at auction, the RM005 was introduced in 2004 as the first automatic model from Richard Mille and is now regarded as one of the classic cornerstone models of the brand. The present watch is number 22 of a special edition of 40 pieces in platinum produced for the Singapore boutique and named in honor of Felipe Massa, the Brazilian racing driver who, since 2004, started every Grand Prix with an RM watch on his wrist. Massa, the longest standing sports partner of the Richard Mille family, competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums, and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one point.

This platinum RM005 ‘Felipe Massa’ is without doubt the most sought after version of the RM005 and is today extremely difficult to obtain. RM005 was available in 18k white or rose gold, platinum, and titanium and was powered by caliber RM-005, a self-winding movement developed by the Fleurier-based Vaucher Manufacture. Being no ordinary automatic movement, this was the first caliber to use a variable geometry rotor to suit different lifestyles – this device optimizes the winding of the mainspring by adapting it to the user’s activities to prevent over winding. The movement features a titanium baseplate making it extremely lightweight and is fixed to the case on shock-isolating rubber mounts with screws, as opposed to a traditional casing ring.