Style Edit: How Richard Mille is redefining luxury watchmaking with new and limited editions of the RM 65-01 and RM 21-02

Dedication to complexity has always been at the heart of what Richard Mille does. The manufacturer has consistently pushed Swiss luxury watchmaking into bold, innovative new places more than any other, and constantly explored the boundaries of horological orthodoxy, and then smashed straight through them with timepieces that rewrite the rule books.

Such is resoundingly the case once again with the watchmaker’s latest creations. There are two new versions of the RM 65-01 Automatic Split Seconds Chronograph, and two versions of the RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne.

The two new RM 65-01 editions come in the brand’s very own Quartz TPT material: one of them, in pastel blue, becomes a permanent part of the collection, while the other, in dark yellow, is available in a limited edition of 120.

Quartz TPT is made from tiny multiple filaments of quartz, fused together under incredibly high temperatures until they form a material that combines incredible toughness with a highly attractive, wood grain-like appearance. The new watches join an existing version of the RM 65-01 in grey Quartz TPT, as well as others in red gold and Carbon TPT, titanium and Carbon TPT.

Launched in 2020, the RM 65-01 has a chronograph function capable of timing for up to 12 hours. Made from more than 600 components, it’s powered by the legendary calibre RMAC4, which translates to a whole lot of fun on the openworked dial.

The RM 65-01 is covered with indications, including a split-seconds hand, a small seconds hand, and 30-minute and 12-hour totalisers. Handily, each of these features is colour coordinated, making for a riot of hues on the dial and pushers. As an alternative to the winding crown, there’s even a pusher at 8 o’clock that quickly winds the mainspring when it’s pushed just 125 times.

The two iterations of the RM 21-02 also come with an iconic calibre at their heart, one bearing the same name as the watch. It powers the manual winding tourbillon that dominates the skeletonised dial.

Here, though, the real star is the case, and in particular its construction, which represents a no-limits exploration of the possibilities of materials science. Richard Mille has long drawn on the materials used in hi-tech industries, particularly those involving high performance machines such as racing cars and aircraft.

On these watches, that influence is felt in cases made from a combination of Quartz TPT, Carbon TPT – a material produced in much the same way as its quartz cousin – and titanium.

They are combined innovatively with a honeycombed structure made of black PVD treated Haynes 214, an alloy that features nickel, chromium, aluminium and iron, and that is used for heavy duty purposes such as making gas turbine parts. One version comes in Caribbean blue Quartz TPT and the other in white Quartz TPT – both are limited to just 50 pieces.