Simply Abu Dhabi XX

1 1 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Swiss luxury watch industry divides the market into different price segments; at the top of them all is the Uber luxury bracket, which is where Richard Mille comfortably sits. With prices starting at $91,000 and rising up to $2.2 million for spectacular timepieces like this year’s RM 56-02 Sapphire, watch lovers have come to expect the very best haute horlogerie and unprecedented innovation from Richard Mille. When Mille appeared on a popular US news channel earlier this year the reporter asked, “And have you sold all of the two million dollar sapphire crystal watches?” Without missing a beat Mille replied, “Yes” – and registering the incredulity plastered over the interviewer’s face added, “You have to understand that these are very technical watches.” The new Tourbillon RM 003 Yas Marina NTPT® Dual Time Zone is no exception – highly technical and with a premium price. It cuts an appealing dash with its twin tone colouring of the inner bezels in white and blue tomatch the colours of the famous Yas Marina race circuit in Abu Dhabi. Also honouring the Yas Marina Circuit in this unique limited edition is the number 6, which is highlighted in the characteristic blue of the track. The Yas Marina logo and a neat map of the circuit are also emblazoned on the case back sapphire. The NTPT® carbon which the case is contrasted from is perfectly matched in this collaboration, considering this super high-tech material is also used for Formula 1 car chassis. The RM003 is a dual time zone tourbillon, and features an optically-coated, numbered sapphire glass disc for the second time zone, which is highly legible in the slightly larger dimension than its predecessor, the RM 002. The numerals only appear when they are suspended over the white background at 3 o’clock, and the time zone can be can be easily adjusted with the pusher at 9 o’clock. Reflecting on the ever-increasing popularity of Richard Mille watches and collaborative limited editions such as this, Tim Malachard, Global Marketing Director at Richard Mille, says, “I believe that our customers appreciate the unique design and constant innovation of the brand through our large range of models even though we are also pretty exclusive with less than 3,000 watches produced last year. Our watches are very distinctive with very complex cases and highly skeletonised movements and our customers are fascinated by the interaction and three-dimensional appearance. What you see is totally transparent and we never include any gimmicks. There is a reason in every function and design aspect.” The RM 003 Tourbillon Yas Marina NTPT® Dual Time Zone will be available in just five pieces – to be presented at the recently re-opened Abu Dhabi Boutique.

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