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Rare Breed

Richard Mille’s RM11-05 Automatic Flyback Chronograph GMT in Grey Cermet

Packing a skeletonized automatic winding movement, a flyback chronograph and a GMT function, Richard Mille’s RM-11 timepieces are some of the brand’s most desired and easily recognized creations. Always finished in exotic material such as ceramics or titanium, it comes to no surprise the RM11-05 will be available in an all new material finish exclusive to Richard Mille known as grey Cermet. Combining the lightness of titanium with the hardness of ceramic, Cermet owes its unique grey color to the combination of a metallic zirconium matrix with ceramic inserts. Its implementation required a degree of rigor commensurate with that needed to create the materials themselves. Heating and pressing together very different kinds of materials at a high temperature without altering their respective qualities was a challenge. It proved even more difficult to obtain a homogeneous whole, as nickel and cobalt, which are normally used in this family of hard materials, were excluded in order to adhere to REACH standards, which ensure safety in the production and use of chemicals in the European industry.

RM11-05
RM11-05

It took many years of development for Richard Mille and the IMI Group, specializing in microtechnology, to remove these undesirable binders and only retain suitable materials. The innovative procedure used for this solution pairs classic hot stamping with a series of powerful electrical current pulses to increase the sintering kinetics, a technique known as “flash sintering”. Its density of 4.1 g/cm3 – less than that of titanium – and its hardness of 2,360 Vickers – almost the same as diamond’s 2,400 Vickers – make Cermet a judicious choice for use in bezels that are very exposed to scratches, while maintaining overall lightness. Cermet’s physical properties are widely recognized, hence its frequent use in ballistic protection, external aerospace fuselage components, and in the brakes of competition vehicles. The combination of a Carbon TPT® caseband, a grade 5 titanium caseback and a grey Cermet bezel helps to significantly reduce the weight of the RM 11-05.

Limited to 140 pieces, the RM 11-05 Automatic Flyback Chronograph GMT will be available from July 2020.

RM11-05

Richard Mille RM11-05 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Specifications:

Limited Edition of 140 pieces

CALIBRE RMAC3: skeletonized automatic winding movement with hours, minutes, seconds at 3 o’clock, oversize date, month, flyback chronograph with minutes and countdown counters at 9 o’clock, hour counter at 6 o’clock, GMT function and variable-geometry rotor.

Case dimensions: 50.00 x 42.70 x 16.15 mm

– Movement dimensions: 30.25 x 38.45 mm
– Thickness: 9.00 mm
– Jewels: 68
– Barrel arbor: AP 20 steel
– Balance: Glucydur®, 4 arms, moment of inertia 4.8 mg•cm2, angle of lift 53º
– Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
– Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
– Index assembly: Triovis n° 2
– Shock protection: INCABLOC 908.22.211.100 (transparent)
– Escapement wheel jewels: Rubifix (transparent)
– Three-position winding stem: Manual winding, date adjustment, hand setting

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