The RM 001 is an odd discount replica watch as it was never made for the open market and was created purely as a proof of concept for Mille. Therefore, only a few were manufactured. But not all are the same. The first 11 have a "classic" German silver baseplate. The models, which were less expensive to machine and easier to work with, weren't exactly what Mille wanted, but they proved that the brand's aesthetic and concept worked. Watches 12 to 17 will feature a PVD-coated titanium baseplate. Leaving classic blade materials behind means the brand now fully embodies the direction Mille envisioned, with every detail thoroughly scrutinized.
The movement and case of RM 001 are designed in a unified way. No part of this watch was an afterthought, and no corners were cut in its production. However, it didn't fulfill all of Miller's wishes. Some adjustments were still required before the RM 001 evolved into the RM 002 and went into production. The one thing it lacks are three unique letters for the function indicators on the movement plate: WNH for the winding, neutral and handset setting functions, operated by push buttons inside the crown. Combined with the lightness and shock resistance that Mille has preached from day one, it will become a signature feature of these pieces.
During product development on the earliest models, Diehl says, the component that took longer to complete than any other part was the watch strap. Some might think that the strap is almost an afterthought, especially when so much of the design and concept of the cheap watches for sale itself is already there. However, it is actually the connection between the strap and the watch that took five years to develop to perfection. You read that right. "If you look at the way a Richard Mille strap attaches to the watch," says Diehl, "you'll see that the rectangular outline of the strap joint and the details on its sides had to fit perfectly into the case; Achieved. It took about five years and multiple supplier changes to get every aspect to be visually perfect and to the correct tolerances.
It was these ultra-tiny tolerances that would make Mille's life difficult again in later models. In his quest for lightness, Mille is known for using materials that other watchmakers might not even consider, or using them in ways that others wouldn't. For example, it turned out that making the three-part curved case out of titanium was more complicated than they first thought. Every metal has some type of memory, so no matter how you mill it, machine it, or work it, it will try and slightly change back to its original shape. Due to the tight tolerances between the curved sapphire crystal and the bezel, the memory in the titanium case forces them to move just enough to crack the crystal. "We kept breaking these crystals, but we didn't know why," recalls Diehl.Richard Mille RM 007 red gold diamond