Richard Mille RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time Zone Asia Edition: A Look At Richard Mille’s Latest Masterpiece
Luxury watch brand Richard Mille have released the ‘Richard Mille RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time Zone Asia Edition’, a watch that has been conceived for “Watches&Wonders 2015“, an annual haute horologie exhibition hosted in Hong Kong. This exclusive timepiece is limited to just 8 pieces, and will only be stocked in Richard Mille‘s Asian boutiques; Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. This piece isn’t an entirely brand new design, merely a new and improved iteration designed for sale in Asia.
To quote Richard Mille, “The RM 022 communicates space and supersonic speed that inspire the brand since 2001. It is also the first watch to combine a dual time zone with an external structure in titanium combined with orthorhombic titanium aluminides and carbon nanofibres.” A brilliant way to put it!
The RM 022 ‘Asia Edition’ exhbiting it’s NPTP bezel and red gold casing
The bezel and back bezel are made out of North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) composite, a seemingly favorite material of the brand (and who could blame them?). The material is a lightweight carbon fibre reinforced polymer with a distinctive and satisfying woodgrain pattern. Between the two beautiful NPTP bezels is the 48mm red gold case band, mirroring the red gold hands and rehaut. NPTP, the material that has featured on other iconic Richard Mille pieces such as the ‘RM 27-02 Rafa Nadal’, gets its groovy look from the manner in which it is made. Layers of woven carbon fibre mixed with resin are placed into an autoclave, a special type of oven that heats the material to high heat and pressure.
On the dial, a power reserve meter can be found at 11 o’clock, whilst the torque indicator is found at 1 o’clock. A small hand can be seen at 4 o’clock, a function selector which is iconic of Renaud & Papi’s creations. Pushing the button on the crown allows for winding, setting or remaing in the neutral position.
The 10-word named watch gets one of them from “Aerodyne”, from the aerospace-inspired baseplate, made from a type of aluminium (orthorhombic titanium aluminide) thats been given a honeycomb pattern. The same alloy can be found in such engineering feats such as aircraft wings, as it exhibits strength and lightness.
To top this amazingly built watch off, a tourbillon has been included as if to almost boast the brand (and watch’s) innovation. The price of this watch hasn’t yet been disclosed, however we’re all expecting something upwards of £300,000 – a big price for a beautiful watch.