Richard Mille’s relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries takes a breathtaking new form with the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire. This model is not just another skeletonized watch. It redefines what it means to merge mechanical artistry with radical transparency. Engineered specifically around the properties of sapphire, every detail of the RM 75-01 is a celebration of light, architecture, and technical mastery.
The tripartite case, cut and polished from blocks of synthetic sapphire, represents one of the most demanding achievements in modern watchmaking. Sapphire, second only to diamond in hardness, requires extreme precision during manufacturing. Over 1,000 hours are spent on machining, shaping, and polishing to craft each case to Richard Mille’s uncompromising standards. Offered in three stunning versions – clear, blue, and pink – the RM 75-01 turns durability into poetry. The clear version channels the brilliance of sunlit ocean waves, paired beautifully with a sea-green strap, while the pink and blue models evoke the softness of twilight and the depths of the sea floor, respectively, through their subtle colored sapphire casebacks.
Beneath this crystalline armor lies a calibre created specifically for this sapphire marvel. The RM75-01 manually-wound movement showcases a flying tourbillon and a flying barrel, designed to appear as if suspended in midair. The entire structure embraces an open, skeletonized architecture that lets light pour through the watch, revealing intricate layers of engineering usually hidden from sight. Every bridge and every surface has been stripped of superfluous mass without compromising strength, creating an astonishing depth that shifts with every angle of the wrist.
The mechanical components themselves reflect a harmony between modern materials science and artisanal finishing. The baseplate and bridges are made from Grade 5 titanium, celebrated for its lightness and rigidity, and finished with either a 5N gold PVD coating or a sleek grey PVD treatment. Wheels are rhodium-plated for both durability and contrast, enhancing the kinetic beauty of the movement. SuperLuminova accents dance across the hands and details, ensuring that even in darkness, the RM 75-01 continues its luminous conversation between shadow and structure.
Architectural inspiration runs deep within this model. The movement’s design recalls the ribbed vaults and intricate geometries of Gothic cathedrals. This influence can be seen in the sweeping arcs, flying supports, and strategic negative spaces, where mechanical components form a skeleton of pure functionality and grace. It is an articulation of space as much as of time – a dialogue between solidity and void, echoing the soaring ambitions of human craftsmanship through the ages.
Despite its ethereal appearance, the RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire remains a robust technical instrument. The flying barrel design reduces friction and optimizes energy flow, contributing to greater chronometric performance. The sapphire case, while visually delicate, offers impressive resistance to scratches and shocks, ensuring that the beauty of this watch is not merely superficial but deeply structural.
Each color variant is offered in extremely limited numbers – only ten examples each for the blue and pink models and fifteen for the clear sapphire. Fitted with supple rubber straps, the watches are designed not only for visual impact but also for comfort and wearability, grounding their futuristic spirit in daily practicality.
The RM 75-01 Flying Tourbillon Sapphire stands as a tribute to what watchmaking can achieve when tradition meets radical imagination. It is a mechanical paradox – simultaneously strong and delicate, minimalist and complex, ancient in inspiration yet utterly contemporary in execution. Every surface, every reflection, every heartbeat of its movement invites the wearer into a world where art, science, and time itself flow together with mesmerizing clarity. Also be sure to check our list of the most expensive watches in the world.
