- The RM 65-01 chronograph is priced at a staggering €250,000 with only 500 pieces being produced.
- Design inspiration from the W1’s wheels has been taken for the watch’s skeletonized titanium dial.
- This luxury chronograph can measure time to one-tenth of a second with a 60-hour power reserve.
Shortly after the unveiling of the McLaren W1 hybrid hypercar, Richard Mille introduced an equally innovative chronograph inspired by the W1—a piece seemingly designed to make our bank accounts weep. This release marks the fourth collaboration between McLaren and Richard Mille since their partnership began in early 2016.
The watch, officially known as the RM 65-01 McLaren Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph W1, uses Richard Mille’s highest-performance automatic chronograph movement, oscillating 36,000 times per hour. It can record elapsed times down to one-tenth of a second and includes a rapid winding system that allows the 60-hour power reserve to be quickly charged.
Read: McLaren’s W1 Is Their Fastest And Most Powerful Roadcar Ever
Visually, the carbon case of the chronograph is supposed to mimic the bodywork of the W1. Designers from Richard Mille were shown early clay mock-ups of the W1 to analyze its shape and have taken inspiration from the high waist line and anhedral doors to create a special carbon bezel complete with a satin finish and polished grade 5 titanium.
The RM 65-01’s upper bezel is just five-tenths of a millimeter thick at its thinnest point, making it the thinnest Richard Mille has ever produced. Design inspiration from the W1’s wheels was also taken for the chronograph’s skeletonized titanium dial and the crown is based on the splines on the W1’s driveshafts. Plenty of Papaya Orange elements are also found on the watch, including the rubber strap.
“Making this fourth watch in the series left us with the feeling that Richard Mille and McLaren are perfectly in-tune,” said Julien Boillat, Richard Mille’s technical director for casing. “We both work to the highest technical specifications with the most high-tech materials, ergonomics are as important to us as they are to them, and our design language really seems to have gelled. The interaction between our two teams and the partnership that it has created has, simply, become really strong.”
Only 500 of these RM 65-01 timepieces will be produced, each carrying am eye-watering price tag of €250,000 (~$274,000). In other words, it’s the perfect accessory for those days when you feel like wearing a house on your wrist.
