AN INTUITIVE COMPANION

The RMAR2 calibre orchestrates the most essential time information: hours, minutes, seconds and oversized date. Photos: Richard Mille

For Richard Mille, "keep your mind moving" is more than just a mantra – it offers a compass oriented towards unfettered and uncompromising creation.

Experience and expertise form an indispensable duo for giving form to this ambition, manifesting in the creation of the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor.

The watch inherits the artistic and technical specificities that have been developed with such rigour by Richard Mille, staying true to the brand's key values: ergonomics, pure lines and exceptional finishes.

The RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor marks Richard Mille's latest demonstration of technical mastery, where complex engineering results in effortless elegance and a profoundly emotional connection for the wearer.

Defined by the signature Richard Mille tonneau shape, the watch combines aesthetic solutions with ground-breaking mechanics, strengthening its roots by introducing a new aesthetic defined by a diamond-based geometry in its skeletonised movement. This striking visual departure replaces the curves of its predecessors, adding a bold, dynamic edge to the display of information, a meticulous finish and open-work design showcasing the calibre’s complexity.

The RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor marks Richard Mille's latest demonstration of technical mastery.

Indicators for the power-reserve, winding and function-selector are highlighted with vibrant coloured transfers, drawing the eye into the depth of the movement.

Through five variations – Red Gold, Titanium, White Ceramic, Dark Blue Quartz TPT and Black Ceramic – the brand is demonstrating its ability to generate intense emotion stemming from the excellence of its technical expertise.

Expanding horizons

Like its predecessors, the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor benefits from the aesthetic solutions and technical advances that are adopted with each new design. Mechanical complexity boasting infallible reliability serves purely to enhance ease of use, while lightness and ergonomics contribute to comfort for the wearer.

The understated style, set off by a discreetly appealing play of colours, ensures exemplary legibility.

Ideal dimensions of the curved tonneau-shaped case provide fertile ground for the use of technical materials, with calibres that relentlessly raise the level of technical expertise.

A striking red gold version of the watch.

"With the RM 30-01, everything has been done to simplify its everyday use. It is disconcertingly easy to adjust and read off the temporal information it provides, and data related to the calibre’s energy management is smooth, too," notes the brand's technical director of movements Salvador Arbona in the press book for the watch.

Constant innovation

A genuine modern kinetic sculpture, the RMAR2 calibre distils the excellence of Richard Mille’s expertise.

Layering the grade 5 titanium bridges creates maximum volume, while all curves have been eliminated.

The straight lines created in the parallel segments – 12 to 3 o’clock and 9 to 6 o’clock – contribute to an inventive geometry.

The RMAR2 calibre orchestrates the most essential time information: hours, minutes, seconds and oversized date.

A double-barrel system ensures enhanced torque stability while the declutchable variable-geometry rotor produces the necessary on demand energy.

The variable-inertia balance guarantees excellent reliability in the event of shocks and improves precision over the long term.

The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable calibration of the inertia is possible thanks to four small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

The function selector, meanwhile, provides the RM 30-01 versatility of use, first appearing on the RM 002-V1 and has gradually come to feature more widely on automatic Richard Mille timepieces.

In concrete terms, it is no longer necessary to pull the crown into different positions to wind the watch or set the time: the pusher housed in the caseband allows you to choose the desired mode.

The indicator positioned on the dial above the oversized date displays the chosen option at any time, like an automotive gearbox.

The declutchable variable-geometry rotor optimises the winding of the mainspring for the wearer’s level of physical activity.

From a technical point of view, this involved creating a multi-position clutch system controlled by the pusher.

The selector operates on a cam activated by a rocker, which manoeuvres a sliding pinion.

This specific gear system minimises the stress exerted on the crown.

Optimising energy efficiency

The declutchable variable-geometry rotor is the jewel in the crown of the RMAR2 calibre.

To check that the mechanism is functioning correctly, several indicators inform the wearer about its activity in real time.

A clear, intuitive display ensures that all data is conveyed in an exemplary fashion.

In a conventional watch, the rotor subjects the barrel to strong constraints during the winding phases.

When the mainspring is completely taut, all excess tension must be avoided and to circumvent this potentially damaging constraint, a sliding-clamp system can be activated when the mainspring reaches its maximum resistance.

However, this creates a pile of debris inside the barrel after long periods of excessive winding, particularly in the case of a very active person.

In the long term, this may impair the timepiece’s chronometric performance.

To remove any tension linked to winding, the RM 30-01’s rotor can automatically declutch, disconnecting from the winding mechanism when the mainspring is ideally wound.

The technical prowess of the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is owed to a lineup of intricately-engineered components.

The mainspring thus accumulates energy optimally, without suffering these constraints.

This mechanism, which first appeared in 2011, is connected to the movement’s power-reserve indicator and offers ultra-precise winding control, enabling the calibre to function where the barrel torque benefits from the best constant torque/power ratio.

It also allows the oscillating organ to operate with excellent chronometric performance.

In practical terms, integrated into the RMAR2 calibre, it automatically disconnects the rotor from the barrel once the power reserve reaches 55 hours.

When energy starts running short, as soon as the 40-hour threshold is reached, the rotor reengages to rewind the barrel spring.

The torque of this component thus enjoys the best constant torque/power ratio.

Anatomy of the watch

The technical prowess of the RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is owed to a lineup of intricately-engineered components.

Understated style showcased on the Titanium version.

Clutch engagement and power-reserve indicators

The clutch engagement indicator positioned at 11 o’clock is the control centre for managing the calibre’s energy and makes it possible to know whether the rotor is operating (on) or is disengaged (off). Its manufacture and miniaturisation represent a real technical feat.

When the power reserve reaches 55 hours, the rotor is automatically declutched via a dedicated mechanism. At this stage, the rotor is uncoupled from the barrel. The power-reserve indicator in the centre of the dial informs the wearer how much energy is available.

Function selector

Inspired by automotive gearboxes, the function selector is easy to use thanks to a pusher integrated into the caseband at 2 o’clock.

The wearer may choose to either set the time, wind the calibre or set the date. This

system minimises constraints on the crown, and there is no longer any interference possible between the movement and the crown’s functions.

The oversized date

To provide the ideal opening for easy reading of the numerals, the oversized date display is located at 4 o’clock in an off-centre aperture.

Declutchable variable-geometry rotor

Boasting a high-performance variable-geometry system with five positions that can be adjusted using grade 5 titanium screws and ceramic ball bearings, this type of rotor optimises the winding of the mainspring for the wearer’s level of physical activity.

Adjusting the position of the wing changes the inertia of the rotor: this operation either accelerates the winding process in the case of leisurely arm movements, or slows it down during sporting activities.

Baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium

Thanks to its aluminium and vanadium content, microblasted grade 5 titanium imbues the baseplate with high rigidity and excellent flatness, both of which are essential to perfect functioning of the going train.

The skeletonised baseplate and the bridges underwent exacting tests to verify their resistance capacity.

Tonneau case

Its lines and rounded curves have become an aesthetic signature. Its finishes highlight the slightest detail of its complex design.