RICHARD MILLE. A RARE 18K PINK GOLD AUTOMATIC SKELETONIZED WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND DATE

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 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.