Đồng hồ Richard Mille Tourbillon Sapphire Dragon RM 57-03

The dragon, a mythical animal arising from an ancestral imaginary world and indissociable from Oriental culture, has multiple meanings. Here, it is a symbol of perseverance and success as well as of the power and strength that make it a master of the elements. This notion of robustness and reassuring solidity, visible in the bearing of the dragon that firmly encircles the manually-wound tourbillon calibre, dictated the creative process followed by the engravers at Olivier Vaucher—a major name in engraving in Geneva—working in collaboration with the Richard Mille movement and exterior engineers on this complex endeavour.

As a fantastical creature moving through the water, the dragon harmoniously encapsulates the Yin of sapphire, associated with the liquid element, and the Yang of gold, which carries the opposing heat and positive connotations of the Sun.

Sapphire has a special place at Richard Mille, which uses this material to craft the most complex cases and movement components. Its transparency, resulting from the purity of the aluminium oxide crystals (Al₂O₃), and its hardness of 1,800 Vickers make it an exciting substance to work with. While Richard Mille sapphire cases are generally ground, on this occasion the technique was set aside in favour of laser micro-cutting, performed using a specific machine to this project. This was done to obtain the piece’s extremely precise details and curves while avoiding undesirable physical and chemical reactions. It was thanks to countless hours of R&D and Computer-assisted design (CAD) programming that the construction was rendered reliable and weak points eliminated.

To engrave the dragon, Olivier Vaucher and his teams developed new hand-polishing and finishing techniques to enhance the natural transparency of the sapphire. The head and feet in carved red gold also serve to accentuate the crystalline texture of the sapphire and the volume of the subject. The minute details of the scales were the result of a long and delicate process of painting with gold, while applying these to the dragon’s tongue and eyes—giving it a determined look—added a final artistic dimension to the piece.

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
• Provision of an excellent mainspring delta curve with an ideal power reserve/performance and regularity ratio.

FREE-SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA

The free-sprung balance offers better reliability in the event of shocks, movement assembly or disassembly, and also guarantees better chronometric results over an extended period of time.

MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Movement dimensions: 32.10 x 30.30 mm
Thickness: 5.27 mm
Tourbillon diameter: 12.40 mm
Balance wheel diameter: 9.12 mm
Jewels: 19
Balance wheel: Glucydur®, 2 arms and 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 11.50 mg•cm² , angle of lift 53º
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

The three-part tonneau-shaped case is highly curved, which means the watch is comfortable to wear but time consuming in terms of production and quality control.

The ergonomic and visually distinctive curvature of the case is typical of all Richard Mille timepieces, requiring absolute precision and a total lack of tension in the metal. These requirements for the case design are based on a year’s worth of research and development.

The tripartite case is water resistant to 50 metres, ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.