Simply Abu Dhabi XXX

1 7 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Richard Mille – Brand Ambassador: Alexis Pinturault The “Kid fromCourchevel” aims to become the best skier in the world and he has a relatively simple approach to achieving his goal: ‘To make a mark on your sport, you have to win everywhere. And to win, you have to ski fast!’ Proof of this is soon provided as I join Alexis in the mountains for a day of skiing in some of the best snow conditions seen in recent seasons. Fast is an understatement. Alexis is electric on the piste—a flash of natural ability and seemingly effortless perpetual motion. As with all of Richard Mille’s partners, Alexis wears his watch every day, whether at dinner or in competition, and so comfort and performance are both utterly essential. Over lunch he explains that the strap for his new timepiece was very important for him—it needed to be quick and easy to put on and take off and so Richard Mille developed a new woven “comfort” bracelet, which is elasticated for precise fit and attaches with a convenient and efficient Velcro fastening. In terms of weight and performance, the development engineers at Richard Mille were given a single directive to comply with: create a watch that will guarantee, under all circumstances, a “symbiosis” between the sportsman and his watch, whereby the demands of his sport are met. The result is the lightest automatic watch in the Richard Mille collection. The RM67-02 weighs an astonishing 32 grams. It is so light you barely notice you’re wearing it. The strikingly colourful watch is perfectly adapted for extreme temperatures and functioning at high altitude. Alexis is enthusiastic about the ergonomics, the incredibly light weight and the solid durability, as the watch will take immense blows as Alexis makes contact with the gates at top speeds on Giant Slalom runs. The watch is constructed from carbon TPT composite made by North Thin Ply Technologies (NTPT) and white quartz. These materials bestow the supremely light weight and exceptional strength. The watch is now flatter than Alexis’ previous RM 035 NTPT Ultimate Edition watch, measuring in at 38.7mm by 47.52mm, and just 7.8mm in height, allowing the watch to easily slip under ski gear. At the heart of the watch is the CRMA7 movement, the seventh in-house calibre from Richard Mille. The bridges and base plate are made of grade 5 titanium and it is meticulously skeletonised to minimise the movement’s weight. The rotor is in open-worked carbon composite and a white gold rim is screwed to its periphery as a winding mass. The watch is so technically advanced that it can be adapted to other demanding sports, and distinct versions of the RM 67-02 have been given to the German tennis player Alexander Zverev and the five-timeWorld Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier. The RM 67-02 is slim, striking, ultra-lightweight, elegant, and—most importantly—up to the task, whatever that might be. It needs to be, as Alexis has big ambitions and a laser-like focus to excel in all the ski disciplines. Now all his efforts are being channelled into success in the pure speed disciplines, such as the Super-G and downhill events. ‘I always want to push the limit. When you have something new you can say “that’s good” but then you want something even better. That’s how you test your limits and are a professional—pushing day after day.”