Richard Mille RM 61-01 Ultimate Edition Yohan Blake (Price, Pictures and Specs)
· Last model in the RM 61-01 series
· Case crafted in Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT
· Limited edition of 150 pieces
Unveiled in 2014, the RM 61-01 is a younger sibling of the tourbillon RM 59-01 worn by Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, a member of the Richard Mille family since 2012. This “Ultimate Edition” heralds the last issue of this model and its singular lines, this time in Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT.
For the Richard Mille RM 61-01 Ultimate Edition, TZP ceramic yields to Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT for the bezel and caseback, with the latter material also featured on the caseband.
The many layers of silica-based Quartz TPT, no more than 45 microns thick, are interlaced with layers of Carbon TPT as they are stacked by an automatic compiling system that changes the orientation of the fibres by 45° between each layer.
Heated to 120° at a pressure of 6 bars in an autoclave, the 600-layer composites are ready for machining at the brand’s factory. Milling and turning reveal random patterns in the Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT, making each piece absolutely unique.
In addition to elongations between 2 and 5 o’clock which eliminate all possible rubbing against the sprinter’s wrist, the case sports a crown protector in Carbon TPT that ensures the crown is safe during sporting activities.
Boasting a highly skeletonised calibre crafted of PVD-treated grade 5 titanium, traversing balance bridges in black-galvanised and hand-painted grade 5 titanium and a balance wheel with variable inertia oscillating at a frequency of 4 Hz, the Richard Mille RM 61-01 ensures superlative performance thanks to a 55-hour power reserve and impact resistance tested for impacts of over 5,000 g’s.
This limited edition of 150 pieces brings to a close this model’s 6-year career.
Richard Mille RM 61-01 Ultimate Edition Yohan Blake
Technical specification:
Calibre Rmul2: Manual winding skeletonised movement with hours, minutes and seconds.
Case dimensions: 50.23 x 42.70 x 15.84 mm
Movement weight: circa 4,3 g
Main Features
Power Reserve: Circa 55 hours (±10%)
Baseplate And Bridges In Grade 5 Titanium:
The manufacture of these components in grade 5 titanium with black PVD treatment confers great rigidity on the entire assembly, as well as the precise surface flatness essential for perfect functioning of the gear train.
The skeletonised baseplate and the bridges were subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimise their resistance capacities.
Free-Sprung Balance With Variable Inertia:
This free-sprung balance offers better reliability when subjected to shock and during movement assembly or disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time. The regulator index is eliminated, and a more accurate and repeatable adjustment is possible thanks to 4 small adjustable weights located directly on the balance.
Double-Barrel System:
The double-barrel system helps to improve torque stability over a longer period. This is achieved by dividing the stored energy in two winding barrels instead of one, thereby reducing pressure and friction on the teeth, the bearings and the pivots, resulting in improved long-term 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 therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
Other Features:
- Movement dimensions: 30.25 x 28.45 mm
- Thickness: 3.15 mm
- Jewels: 24
- Barrel arbor: in AP 20 steel
- Balance wheel: Glucydur, 4 arms, moment of inertia 4.8 mg.cm2, angle of lift 53°
- Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox
- Shock protection: INCABLOC 908.22.211.100 (transparent)
- Escapement wheel jewels: Rubifix (transparent)
- Stem with two positions: Manual winding and hand setting
Case:
The bezel and caseback are made from Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT, with the latter material also featured on the caseband and the the large crown protectors.
Quartz fibres are generally used for very high-performance applications due to their resistance to high temperatures, their strength and their transparency to electromagnetic waves. Quartz TPT is composed of parallel filaments obtained from separating silica threads, while the Carbon TPT is obtained from carbon fibres. Silica layers, no thicker than 45 microns, are saturated in a white matrix developed specially for Richard Mille, then inserted between 30-micron Carbon TPT layers, saturated in a black matrix, using an automatic positioning system that changes the orientation of the fibres between each layer by 45°. It is then heated to 120°C to a pressure of 6 bars in an autoclave similar to those used to make aeronautics components and machined on a CNC machine at Richard Mille. Machining unveils the various Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT layers at random, ensuring that each machined component is unique.
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. Its special drawn-out shape between 2 and 5 o’clock prevents the crown from rubbing against the wrist.
Crown: In Carbon TPT with O-ring seal in Alcryn.
Interior Flanges: In titanium with black galvanic treatment and white painting. Hour index markers filled with approved luminescent material.
Crystal:
- Bezel side: In sapphire (1.800 Vickers) with anti-glare coating (both sides); Thickness: 1.50 mm
- Caseback: In sapphire with anti-glare coating (both sides); Thickness: 1.20 mm at the centre; outer edges 1.95 mm
Finishing:
Movement:
- Baseplate in titanium, wet sandblasted and PVD treated and hand-drawn after treatment - Locking sections hand-polished
- Burnished pivots
- Pinions with undercuts
Steel Parts:
- Straight line grain finish on the upper surface
- Lower surfaces microblasted
- Hand-polished sinks
- Screw slot and screws bevelled and polished with rounded and polished tip
Wheels:
- Sandblasted and rhodium-plated, bevelled (before cutting the teeth)
- Minimal corrections applied to the wheels in order to preserve geometry and performance
The price for the Richard Mille RM 61-01 Ultimate Edition Yohan Blake is Euro 155,310.
