Content area
Full Text
A supercar on your wrist
By Varun Godinho
INDEPENDENT WATCHMAKER RICHARD MILLE is always the scene stealer at the annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) where it debuts the year’s novelties. However, although it was present at this year's event, it waited until two months later for the Geneva Motor show in March to release one of its finest timepieces yet.
And with good reason. This RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph is a collaboration between Richard Mille and McLaren Automotive – the latter is the showstopper at the world’s most prestigious annual car show.
McLaren motorsport division and Richard Mille have already been partnering for over a year now (the $1.3m RM 50-03 Tourbillion Split Seconds Chronograph took inspiration from the McLaren F1 car), but this is the first time that RM and McLaren’s road-going car division have collaborated.
The materials used in the construction of the tonneau curved case of the RM 11-03 are as complex as that of the car itself. It uses a TPT case construction. TPT stands for Thin Ply Technology, which encompasses ultra-thin sheets
of composites sandwiched together. In between, layers of carbon fibre and orange silica have been added lending it a dramatic visual appeal. The inserts on the case, which feature the McLaren branding, are similar to the McLaren F1’s roof- mounted air-intake snorkel.
McLaren’s design director Rob Melville and Richard Mille engineer Fabrice Namura worked together on the project. For inspiration, RM turned to a very specific McLaren model – the four-
litre twin-turbo McLaren 720S, which was unveiled last year. The titanium chronograph pushers are modelled after the
‘empty eye socket headlights’ (which look like air intakes) on the 720S. The crown of the timepiece is a nod to the vehicle's multi- spoke wheel.
The engine of this wrist machine is the RMAC 3 calibre, which...