Richard Mille. A very rare and light black DLC-coated titanium limited edition automatic skeletonized wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, date, power reserve, declutchable winding rotor, original warranty and box

The RM030 Argentina model is distinguished by the blue and white colours of the dial representing the Argentinean flag and was made in a limited edition of 30 examples only. The present watch, no. 26/30, is believed to be the first example of this series to be offered at public auction and impresses by its new condition.

At the 2011 SIHH in Geneva, Richard Mille presented his latest technical innovation, model RM030 featuring the automatic calibre RMAR1 equipped with a so-called “declutchable” winding rotor.

The winding of an automatic wristwatch is accomplished by a small turning rotor, driven by the physical movements of the wearer. These rotations provide energy to the winding barrel, which reaches its optimal point once it is fully wound. After this point, overwinding can easily occur and needs to be avoided. Watchmakers traditionally use a sliding flange that allows the spring to slip, thus preventing the movement from becoming overwound. However, this system allows the build-up of debris inside the winding barrel which can severely affect the watch’s accuracy. To avoid such conditions, Richard Mille took 4 years to develop the concept and design of a rotor which declutches automatically. Once the spring fully wound the winding barrel is automatically disconnected from the rotor’s winding mechanism. In addition, this new mechanism is linked to the power reserve indicator to provide an optimal winding control. This allows both the movement and the oscillator to work with the best ratio of constant torque/power to provide the best chronometric performance. The rewinding indicator keeps the wearer informed whether the rotor is operating in winding phase (on) or is disengaged (off).