Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXIII

1 1 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he inspired explorations and collaborations of Richard Mille cover everything from street art to aviation, but with the RM11-02 LeMans Classic, Richard Mille returns to his childhood passion of motorcars and racing. This 2016 ‘racing machine for the wrist’ is limited to 150 pieces and marks the world-famous 24 Hour Le Mans Classic, of which RichardMille has been a partner since the event was established 14 years ago in 2002. This year the Le Mans Classic set a new attendance record with upwards of 123,000 fans enjoying a sun-drenched day that embodies nearly 100 years of history. Richard Mille is the main partner and official timekeeper for the event, and naturally a commemorative edition watch is both expected by fans and highly desirable. One of the many elite sporting partners of the brand, Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, made an appearance at the weekend and drew cheers from the crowd as he waved the starter flag at the opening of the Little Big Mans – a race for six- to ten-year-olds that gives them the experience of the starting grid and the excitement of the historic Bugatti circuit. Musical icon Pharrell Williams, also a friend of the brand, waved a French flag to indicate the start of the official race. A thousand drivers took turns around the clock at the wheel of the 550 entries. Among them were celebrated names of motorsports and of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the high calibre of champions such as Henri Pescarolo, Gérard Larrousse, Éric Hélary, and Romain Dumas who went on to win the 2016 title. The watch for this year is the RM 11 chronograph model in the Traveller’s version. It features a large date at 12 o’clock and an annual calendar, with display of the month in a window between 4 and 5 o’clock. On this new RM11-02 edition, there is a 24-hour indication at 6 o’clock added, plus a new hand means the watch can display two time zones at once. The case of this new beauty is Richard Mille’s instantly recognisable tonneau- shape, and it is even more attention-grabbing with its crisp white ATZ ceramic bezel and caseback, contrasted with NTPT carbon casebands. As always with the extreme technique the brand is lauded for, the movement is a masterpiece. Executed in grade 5 titanium for the plates and bridges, it includes a variable geometry rotor, a free sprung balance and a double barrel winding and chronograph flyback. This edition bears the colours of the historic competition, dark green on the inner flange, on its rubber strap and on the rubber insert of the carbon crown. The Le Mans Classic logo appears at 12 o’clock on the dial.