Richard Mille's RM 43-01 is a fusion of performance with purpose
Their latest collaboration, the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari, isn't just a timepiece – it's a mechanical dialogue between two houses defined by their obsession with performance, precision and bold design.
The watch is the second chapter in a partnership that was established in 2021, and which resulted in the RM UP-01 Ultraflat Ferrari – a watch just 1.75 mm thick – being unveiled the following year.
The 'gentleman driver' version of the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari in microblasted and polished Grade 5 titanium. PHOTO: RICHARD MILLE
The new watch will be available in two distinct personalities, as Richard Mille's casing technical director, Julien Boillat, puts it: there is the 'gentleman driver' version in microblasted and polished Grade 5 titanium with a Carbon TPT (a lightweight and durable thin-ply composite used exclusively for Richard Mille) caseband, as well as the 'high-octane' Carbon TPT variant for those who prefer their luxury with more attitude. Both are limited to 75 pieces each.
What makes this collaboration fascinating isn't just the prestige factor. Ferrari's Centro Stile design team didn't just slap their logo on an existing watch. Instead, they worked alongside Richard Mille's engineers for two years, influencing everything from the angular crown, sculpted pushers and strap, which echoes the patterning of the Purosangue's interior. Even the hands take their cues from Ferrari's design language.
Every curve, surface and treatment serves a dual purpose – stylistic and functional. The rear of the calibre reveals a titanium plate engraved with the Prancing Horse emblem, its form echoing the design of the 499P's rear wing.
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The 'high octane' Carbon TPT version of the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari. PHOTO: RICHARD MILLE
The dial, open-worked and three-dimensional, offers a clear view of the split-seconds chronograph's mechanical choreography and the off-centre tourbillon escapement. An innovative active seconds display – its rotating blades read off a 12-second scale – adds an element of kinetic energy to the dial.
The torque and function indicators echo a high-performance instrument cluster; much like a Ferrari dashboard, the layout is always technical but yet highly legible. Pushers are dynamic, case flanks are detailed with angular ridges, and golden socket-head screws contrast with blackened bridgework – a visual reference to the tension and complexity of engine blocks and crankcases.
The calibre houses a tourbillon and a split-seconds chronograph, all supported by a skeletonised titanium baseplate with bridges in both titanium and Carbon TPT. PHOTO: RICHARD MILLE
Technically, the RM 43-01 is among the most complex watches the maison has ever produced. The calibre – developed over three years in collaboration with Audemars Piguet Le Locle – houses a tourbillon and a split-seconds chronograph, all supported by a skeletonised titanium baseplate with bridges in both titanium and Carbon TPT. It delivers a 70-hour power reserve.
Throughout the development, material selection and engineering decisions were guided by the same principles that shape Ferrari's most demanding prototypes: performance, durability and visual coherence.
Every element has undergone rigorous testing, simulation and structural optimisation. The result is a watch that pushes the envelope in both watchmaking and design – proof that mechanical complexity and aesthetic sophistication aren't mutually exclusive.
Richard Mille's RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari watches, worn by Scuderia Ferrari. PHOTO: RICHARD MILLE
The RM 43-01 doesn't just attract attention – it earns it through detail, proportion and purpose. Whether at the races or on your wrist, the watch is a wearable celebration of two brands that refuse to compromise on performance.
Call it a statement of synergy: where form follows function, and both speak fluently in the language of speed. Just like admiring that Ferrari engine bay, the RM 43-01 reminds us that sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones engineered to perfection.
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