'The first pocket watches were great technical achievements, bringing timekeeping to the world of the private and personal for the very first time in history. It preceded the appearance of the wristwatch by several centuries. With our deeply held aesthetic convictions and experience in mechanical technology, we were keen to revisit and radically modernise the concept behind this archetype for a long time.
Taking advantage of the more generous dimensions of the RM 020 format to emphasise its architecture, we felt free to stretch and accentuate the curve and camber of the case. The rhomboid shape of the chain links is a clear reference to the Column of the Infinite by Brancusi, the brilliant 20th century sculptor. In the presence of this piece, we oscillate between the two utopias of absolute time and infinite space.’
RM 020
Manual Winding Tourbillon Pocket Watch
RM 020
TIME AND INFINITE SPACE
RM 020 TOURBILLON POCKET WATCH
CALIBRE RM020
Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, power-reserve and function indicators.
POWER RESERVE
Circa 10 days (± 10%) supplied by two directly engaged winding barrels.
CARBON NANOFIBRE BASEPLATE
This is an isotropic composite material created from carbon nanofibres moulded under pressure of 7,500 N/cm2 at a temperature of 2,000˚C, resulting in a material with high mechanical, physical and chemical stability in all directions. The ribbed perimeter of the movement baseplate ensures the highest rigidity of the baseplate and bridges.
Carbon nanofibre composite structures such as this are amorphous, chemically neutral and dimensionally constant within a very wide range of operating temperatures, including those outside of normal experience. This stability ensures the greatest integrity of the movement’s going train under all conditions.
CARBON NANOFIBRE BASEPLATE
BRIDGES MADE OF GRADE 5 TITANIUM
Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and remarkably rigid alloy composed of 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium. This combination further increases the material’s mechanical properties, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aeronautics and automobile industries.
CENTRAL BRIDGE IN RIGIDIFIED ARCAP®
This material ensures high rigidity of the baseplate and the bridge assembly of the going train.
FUNCTION INDICATOR
In a manner similar to a car’s gearbox, the function indicator make it possible to identify the winding, neutral and hand-setting positions as the crown is pulled out. Each position is indicated via a hand at 4 o’clock.
FREE-SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA
The free-sprung balance offers better reliability in the event of shocks or movement assembly and disassembly, and also guarantees better chronometric results over an extended period of time.
SPLINE SCREWS IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM FOR THE BRIDGES AND CASE
This permits better control of the torque applied to screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Movement dimensions: 42.20 x 42.20 mm
Thickness: 8.40 mm
Tourbillon diameter: 12.30 mm
Number of jewels: 28, set in white gold chatons
Balance wheel diameter: 9.12 mm
Balance: Glucydur®, 2 arms, 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 10 mg•cm2, angle of lift 53°
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
Shock protection: KIF Elastor KE 160 B28
Barrel shaft: nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: stainless – antimagnetic – suitable for tempering
MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
CASE
The RM 020, the only pocket watch in the Richard Mille collection, has a unique, slightly rectangular case housing its exceptional 10-day tourbillon movement, with the two bezels curving outwards in two directions. The creation of a case like this, including the front and back sapphire glass which offers an open view of all parts, is a veritable tour-de-force of Swiss casemaking in haute horlogerie. The case is assembled with 16 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.
TORQUE LIMITING CROWN IN TITANIUM
The RM 020 crown is an exceptional component. It was manufactured by Cheval Frères, who have been in the business of specialist component watch parts for 165 years, and proved to be a real technical challenge. The chain, clasp, crown cover and stand require 580 separate operations, of which 140 are finishing operations and 126 control operations. There are no less than 189 component parts (27 parts in the crown, 20 in the crown cover, 16 in the clasp, 65 in the chain and 61 parts in the separate stand).
The added security of this crown prevents accidental overwinding of the watch, which can cause damage to the winding stem or place excess pressure on the barrel spring.
TORQUE LIMITING CROWN IN TITANIUM
Finishing
Movement
• Anglage and polishing by hand
• hand-polished locking sections
• Sapphire-blasted milled sections
• Lapped and polished contact points
• Burnished pivots
Steel parts
• Sapphire-blasted surfaces
• Hand-polished anglage
Wheels
• Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
• Circular-finished faces
• Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
• Minimal corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance.
Other features
BARREL PAWL WITH PROGRESSIVE RECOIL
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (circa 20%), especially during the start of winding. It is also helpful in the distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension.
WINDING-BARREL TEETH AND THIRD-WHEEL PINION WITH CENTRAL INVOLUTE PROFILE
The central involute profile of the winding-barrel teeth and pinion provides an optimal pressure angle of 20°. This promotes effective rotary motion and compensates for possible variations in the engagement of the going train, thus ensuring excellent torque transmission with a distinct improvement in performance.
ZIRCON ENDSTONE FOR THE TOURBILLON CAGE
This reflects a technical and long-term view towards the elimination of wear phenomena, resulting in improved technical tribology.
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