RM 19-02
TECHNIQUE BEHIND POETRY
The RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur epitomizes the tradition of horological artistry in a vibrant expression of watchmaking distinctive to Richard Mille’s vision of timekeeping in the 21st century. Extreme technique fulfilled its role by bringing the intention, the idea and the concept to life with sublime effectiveness.
First automaton in the collection, the Magnolia surrounding a flying tourbillon escapement with five delicate, hand created and colored petals. The flowers opens and closes with rhythmic regularity in a delicate kinetic ballet.
Each piece of this limited edition is unique.
CALIBRE RM19-02
Manual winding tourbillon movement
Hours, minutes and automaton mechanism
Power reserve : Circa 36 hours (± 10%)
Dimensions : 45.40 x 38.30 x 12.55 mm
MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Movement dimensions: 31.50 x 29.62 mm
Thickness: 5.72 mm
Tourbillon diameter: 11.10 mm
Balance wheel diameter: 10.00 mm
Number of jewels: 51
Balance: Glucydur®, 2 arms, 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 10 mg•cm2, angle of lift 53°
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
Shock protection: KIF Elastor KE 160 B28
Barrel shaft: nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: stainless – antimagnetic – suitable for tempering
CASE
This tripartite tonneau-shaped case is fully curved, which ensures the watch is ergonomic and comfortable.
Both front and back curves are part of the Richard Mille watch case regardless of its shape. The specific tonneau shape requires 47 stamping operations, including 21 for preparation alone. Tooling takes 4 hours, and the RM 19-02 is obtained only after 250 milling operations. The finishing process requires a full day for grinding, glazing and polishing.
BASEPLATE AND BRIDGES IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM
Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and remarkably rigid alloy, which enables the gear train to function effortlessly. The alloy is 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium. This combination further increases the material’s mechanical properties, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aeronautics and automobile industries. The baseplate, entirely hand engraved with a floral pattern, was subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimise its resistance capacities.
TORQUE LIMITING CROWN
This additional security system prevents accidental overwinding, which can cause damage to the winding stem or put extreme pressure on the barrel spring.
Finishing
Movement
• Anglage and polishing by hand
• Hand-polished locking sections
• Sapphire-blasted milled sections
• Lapped and polished contact points
• Burnished pivots
• PVD treatment
Steel parts
• Sapphire-blasted surfaces
• Satin-finished surfaces
• Anglage and polishing by hand
• Burnished sections
Wheels
• Concave chamfering with a diamond tool
• Circular-finished faces
• Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
• Minimal correction applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance
Other features
FREE-SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA
The free-sprung balance offers better reliability in the event of shocks, movement assembly and disassembly, and also guarantees better chronometric results over an extended period of time.
BARREL PAWL WITH PROGRESSIVE RECOIL
This device permits a profitable winding gain (circa 20%), especially during the winding start. It is also helpful in evenly distributing the mainspring’s internal tension.
SPLINE SCREWS IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM FOR THE BRIDGES AND CASE
This permits better control of the torque applied to screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.