Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVI

1 0 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I engineers have added to the previous use of sapphire movement parts a new design of winding barrel bridge, tourbillon and centre bridges in sapphire. This fluently executed technical challenge is a crowning achievement of the sapphire family of timepieces, highlighting the heights of creativity that characterise the entire RichardMille collection. Sapphire crystal is extremelyhard andvirtually scratch resistant.While thismakes it an ideal material for performance, it also presents immense manufacturing challenges –demonstratingwhy theRM56-02 is sucha remarkable achievement. First, the three-part case is milled and ground from blocks of solid sapphire by the prestigious andhighly specialised experts Stettler inLyss, Switzerland. Stettler craftsmen were faced with the difficult task of creating these movement parts and the unique, wrist-hugging, ergonomically curving watchcase. To give some idea, these engineering and technical challenges required continuousmachining around the clock for 40 days – that’s a total of 960hours to produce just one case. This processwas followedby an additional 400hours ofmachining and finishing for the different movement bridges. The spectacular artistry and craftsmanship is self-evident in the result – and dare we say, not a little awe-inspiring. The RM 56-02 of course offers impeccable functionality in addition to the staggering engineering on display. The case of the RM 56-02 offers anti-glare protection on both front and back bezels, and is waterproof to 30 metres. The partially translucent strap was created by Aerospace Nano® by Biwi SA, exclusively for Richard Mille, and provides a silky – almost organic – responsiveness on the wearer’s skin that perfectly complements the exquisite ergonomic perfection of the watch on his wrist. Given that it takes nearly two years to mill enough sapphire to craft the components, it should come as no surprise that theRM56-02will be a very rare timepiece, with only ten to be released worldwide. Richard Mille raises the bar every time – and we can’t wait to see what they do next.