SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

a new shape and it requires extensive stamping and machining operations to create the three main components of bezel, caseband and caseback. All three were designed together in a holistic approach to the conception of the movement, case and dial. The front bezels of the RM 16-01 Fraise and Citron are made fromCarbon TPT®, a remarkable material with a unique finish obtained by layering hundreds of sheets of carbon fibres using an automated process that changes the orientation of the weft between layers. Heated to 120 °C in an autoclave similar to those used for aeronautic components, the material is then ready to be machined at Richard Mille. During this phase, the many layers of Carbon TPT® are revealed, creating random damascene patterns that make each piece unique. The RM 16-01 Fraise caseback uses red Quartz TPT® while the RM 16-01 Citron uses yellow Quartz TPT®. This material is produced according to a process identical to that of Carbon TPT®, but from silica threads. The different colours are achieved by using matrix resins developed specially for Richard Mille by North Thin Ply Technology. Their casebands use a gradient of Carbon TPT®/red Quartz TPT® and Carbon TPT® /yellow Quartz TPT® respectively, creating an elegant colour transition from the bezel to the caseback. The tripartite case is water resistant to 30 metres, ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals, and is assembled using 12 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel. The dial is created in grade 5 titanium and each candy design is painted with acrylic paint, lacquered by hand. The sugar effect is achieved using crushed enamel and an extremely thin sand that is typically used for hourglasses. The Bonbon collection will no doubt be divisive— rarely in the creative field do such diversions from what is expected go without ruffling a fair few feathers, but love it or loathe it, Richard Mille continues to demonstrate mastery in the area of materials, colour and form. Guenat, concludes, “The idea was to revisit the existing collections while playing with colour. This allowed me to bring out a pop-inspired sense of fun. In all, we developed a palette of 60 colours for this unisex collection.” 1 1 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I