RM 53-01
DESIGNED FOR ACTION
Polo is the sport of a true gentleman. The perfect union of man and beast, of strength and precision, speed and serenity. For its part, the RM 53-01 is the ‘smashing’ new result of the encounter between Richard Mille and Pablo Mac Donough, one of the world’s best players.
After the first, armoured solution created to grace the wrist of Pablo Mac Donough, this new incarnation of the Polo collection we present here is the fruit of exhaustive fieldwork and thousands of hours of Research & Development. The RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough demonstrated the exceptional resistance of this calibre to shocks - indispensable under the circumstances - combined with a new aesthetic.
The sapphire laminated glass of the RM 53-01 is a world premiere in the realm of watchmaking, capable of absorbing extreme shocks without breakage.
SPORT OF WARRIOR KINGS
‘It’s an extremely dangerous sport. Falling is part of the deal, as is getting hit with the ball or a mallet. The worst injuries I have sustained have always been with a mallet rather than from falling.’
‘It was impossible for us to imagine creating such a beautiful and high-performance movement only to cover it up. We owed it to ourselves to set it off while protecting it from external elements in a suitable housing, with ‘indestructible’ as our watchword.’ Julien Boillat, Technical Director
CALIBRE RM53-01
Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours and minutes.
Limited edition of 30 pieces
POWER RESERVE
Circa 70 hours (± 10%).
DOUBLE SKELETONISED BASEPLATE WITH GRADE 5 TITANIUM BRIDGES
Grade 5 titanium is employed for the bridges and the highly atypical double baseplate construction, which consists of a first, ‘central’ baseplate that firmly holds together the various wheels of the calibre, and a second, ‘peripheral’ baseplate, attached to the central baseplate by cables and supporting the entire tensioner system.
Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible alloy used in aeronautics for its high resistance to corrosion, remarkable lightness, and low expansion coefficient.
The suspended movement and this titanium comprised of 90% titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium together improve the strength of the movement, ensuring smooth functioning of the going train and optimal shock resistance.
The skeletonised baseplate and bridges were subjected to separate and extensive validation tests to meet rigorous strength requirements and offer an extreme weight / resistant ratio.
CABLE-SUSPENSION MECHANISM
The movement at the heart of the RM 53-01 rests on two, braided steel cables just 0.27 mm in diameter. The tensioning of these cables is accomplished utilising 10 pulleys and 4 tensioners affixed to the peripheral baseplate and to each side of the main bridge. The cables run through the tackle pulley system and are attached to the tensioners on the other side. The watchmaker tensions the system by tightening a spline screw located at the centre of each tensioner. The pulleys ensure that the tension of the cable remains constant, and therefore that the system is balanced. Designed to sit suspended within the case, the calibre RM53-01 can withstand shocks exceeding 5,000 g’s.
FREE-SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA
This type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation.
It guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shocks and during movement assembly or disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time.
The regulator index has been eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible thanks to 4 small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.
FAST-ROTATING BARREL (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours)
This type of barrel provides the following advantages:
• The phenomenon of periodic internal mainspring adhesion is significantly diminished, thereby increasing performance.
• An excellent mainspring delta curve with an ideal power reserve/performance and regularity ratio.
MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
- Movement dimensions : 31.94 x 30.26 mm
- Thickness : 6.35 mm
- Tourbillon diameter: 12.40 mm
- Balance diameter: 10.00 mm
- Number of jewels: 19
- Balance wheel: Glucydur®, 2 arms and 4 setting screw, moment of inertia : 11.50 mg.cm 2, lift angle 53°
- Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
- Shock protection: KIF Elastor KE 160 B28
- Barrel shaft in nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following properties: stainless – antimagnetic – suitable for tempering
CASE IN CARBON TPT®
Carbon TPT® is almost indestructible and possesses exceptional physical properties that make possible a lighter case offering ideal shock protection. Carbon TPT® consists of over 600 layers of parallel filaments obtained by separating carbon threads. With a maximum thickness of 30 microns, the Carbon TPT® layers are saturated with resin, then compiled on a special machine that modifies the orientation of the fibres between each layer by 45°. Once it has been heated to 120°C and subjected to a pressure of 6 bars, the Carbon TPT® is machined at Richard Mille’s factory. Carbon TPT® is renowned for its excellent resistance to micro-cracks and splits.
The complete case construction is water-resistant to 50 metres thanks to two Nitrile O-ring seals and is assembled using 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and 316L stainless steel washers.
LAMINATED SAPPHIRE GLASS
As everyone knows, Polo is a gentleman’s sport, however, the elegance it is reputed for by no means cancels out the extraordinary violence of its confrontations between players, or their horses.
After the first armoured solution created to grace the wrist of Pablo Mac Donough, this new incarnation of the Polo collection is the fruit of exhaustive fieldwork and thousands of hours of Research & Development.
The sapphire laminated glass of the RM 53-01 is a world premiere in the realm of watchmaking, capable of absorbing extreme shocks without breakage. In case of impact, this glass may crack, but under no circumstances shatter, thereby protecting the movement, as verified during impact pendulum testing, when a metal spike was added to the 4.5 kg weight.
This milestone achievement starts with the creation of two arched, sapphire glass layers, polished to a mirror finish on both sides and then treated with an antireflective coating. Thereafter a microscopically thin sheet of special vinyl is deposited between them and the three parts are fused together. After this basic sapphire unit is created, a further 16 hours of fine milling on a 5-axis machine is required. The risk of scratches or nicks is very high during this process, and further complicated by the impossibility of gluing the glass into place.
The many steps involved, not only in developing this new technique but also its production process — beginning with a block of sapphire and ending with assembly — explain the cost of this protective glass unit, which is tenfold that of the standard sapphire glass Richard Mille normally uses.
TORQUE-LIMITING CROWN
This additional security system prevents accidental overwinding, which could cause damage to the winding stem or put extreme pressure on the mainspring barrel.
Finishing
Movement
- Anglage and polishing by hand
- Shot-blasted milled sections
- Black and grey PVD treatment for the baseplates and bridges
Steel parts
- Microblasted surfaces
- Satin-finished surfaces
- Anglage and polishing by hand
- Long strokes
- Matte ‘brouillé’ strokes
- Polished sinks
Wheels
- Diamond-polished sinks
- Circular decorations on the front surfaces
- Rhodium plating (before cutting the teeth)
- Minimal corrections are made to the wheels to preserve their geometry and overall performance.
Other features
BARREL PAWL WITH PROGRESSIVE RECOIL
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (circa 20%), especially during the start of winding. It is also helpful in distributing the mainspring’s internal tension effectively.
WINDING-BARREL TEETH AND THIRD-WHEEL PINION WITH CENTRAL INVOLUTE PROFILE
The central involute profile of the winding-barrel teeth provides an optimal pressure angle of 20°, which promotes effective rotary motion and compensates for possible variations in the operation of the going train. This, in turn, ensures excellent torque transmission and a distinct improvement in performance.
SPLINE SCREWS IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM FOR THE BRIDGES AND CASE
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.