The speedy, bold lines of a Ferrari, the daring high-octane environment of Formula 1 and the precision of a luxury horologist make for a pairing fit for the winner’s circle, at least when it comes to the newest limited-edition Richard Mille watch.
Richard Mille just teamed with Ferrari earlier this spring on an impossibly intricate RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari, and the latest and greatest effort from the haute horologist takes things a step further, going so far as to celebrate the Richard Mille ambassador.
The RM72-01 ‘Charles LeClerc’ has actually been spotted in the wild in recent weeks, according to Hodinkee, which notes that the racing star has been wearing his namesake timepiece in the paddock and beyond. The watch was even visible on Leclerc’s wrist in an Instagram post, proving that watch-spotting never takes a day off (and neither does the champion F1 driver).
Even before debuting a watch tagged with his name, the haute horologist had been impressed by Leclerc’s talent. “The driver attracted my attention and enthusiasm, immediately convincing the brand to support his budding talent,” designer and founder Richard Mille himself once noted. The company also notes that Leclerc previously wore an RM 67-02 prototype, billed by RM as “a thin, lightweight, colorful, elegant and sporty automatic watch that can adapt to a variety of disciplines.”
The new RM72-01 ‘Charles LeClerc’, on the other hand (or wrist, rather) is an automatic flyback chronograph powered by the company’s in-house CRMC-1 caliber movement and featuring a bold, Ferrari-inspired red-and-white, streamlined design (those colors also happen to be the national flag of Monaco). It boasts a bold square tonneau case design sized nicely at 38mm, suitably eye-catching both on and off the track.
A remarkably intricate caseback and front skeletonized design handsomely showcase the artistry of Richard Mille at work, while the watch itself boasts a 50-hour power reserve and is further accented in eye-catching fashion by its grooved black crown (not unlike Formula 1 tires, of course). Each watch is numbered out of just 150 pieces, with a price tag befitting a Formula 1 driver: It’s available for a select few for a whopping $330,000.
As bold and sleek as a Formula 1 ride, with the specs and the price tag to match, the latest Richard Mille watch seems to fall right in line with its namesake driver’s best attributes: “Discipline, determination and verve,” as Richard Mille says. If future releases with its stable of global ambassadors are just as exclusive (and just as intricately designed), then avid RM collectors might have further opportunities yet to score a piece of watch history.
