At SIHH 2016, Richard Mille launched the RM 50-02 AC. The design is the product of both Richard Mille and Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), two firms that share the same target audience. ACJ is the division of the European plane maker that turns its aircraft into flying palaces, having lavished its aesthetic sensibility on the RM 50-02, which is powered by the most complicated movement Richard Mille uses in its wristwatches.
Up close the watch reveals a riot of colours and detail that’s typical of Richard Mille. Most of the movement is skeletonised, while the dial is a clear sapphire disc, revealing the mechanics of the watch. The stark white of the case is jazzed up with brightly coloured details on the dial in orange, yellow, red and green. And several bridges are an unusual bronze colour, the result of an anticorrosion coating that’s used for aircraft parts.
The movement has an immediate nerd appeal, with overwhelming visual complexity as well as the depth that is typical of a split-seconds chronograph.
The gadgety ornamentation continues on the case, which has its sides adorned with arrows and ridges plus an extra-large, multi-level crown topped with the ACJ logo. And the case even uses Torq Set screws to hold the front and back plate together. Distinguished by their spiral slots, these high-end screws are also used in Airbus aircraft.