'Unique' and 'Original' are two of many superlatives that you can use to describe the watches of Richard Mille. To grasp the true nature of a Mille masterpiece, you need to first understand the latitude given to the design team when they set out to create a new watch. The individual parts of a Richard Mille timepiece are created specifically to compliment the design concept. This is a dramatic departure from the way most watch manufacturers work and leads to the kind of bold and cutting edge concepts that Mille executes famously. Not only is every last part of a movement designed specifically for it's integration into the whole of the design, but only the most technically proficient manufacturers are selected to supply individual components. If you own a watch signed by Richard Mille, you can be assured that each and every part of it is not only the best available, but has been designed and manufactured specifically for that watch.
The Richard Mille RM 015 Perini Navi Cup is an extensively intense example of the cutting edge work being done at the Mille shop. Like all Richard Mille timepieces, the Navi Cup is certainly not short on Formula One overtones. The high-tech barrage begins at the movement plate itself where carbon nanofiber construction means better rigidity between the plate and the bridges and enhanced stability at temperature extremes. Mainspring tension is displayed on a torque indicator that's positioned between 2 and 4 o'clock on the transparent dial. Keep the mainspring adjustment between 53 and 65 dNmm and the movement purrs - if the needle is in the red zone, it's time for a trip to the service department. Time in a second zone is indicated in a completely unique way. A numbered and transparent sapphire crystal disc revolves over a light colored field that's just north of 10 o'clock - it's adjusted with a pusher located mid-case left side. To set or wind the Perini Nav, you first engage a push-button located mid-crown to select a 'gear'. A hand at 4 o'clock displays the selected position: 'C' (Carica) for winding, 'N' (Neutral) for wearing, and 'L' (Lancette) for hand setting. Gear selected, you complete the task by rotating the crown. Even the smallest of details don't escape the influence of modern technology - the tourbillon cage, for instance, is equipped with a ceramic endstone to decrease wear and increase longevity.
Less apparent but no less important to the finely tuned operation of this precision instrument are: a variable inertia free-sprung balance; a fast rotation barrel that greatly enhances the delta curve on the mainspring for an exemplary power reserve / performance / and regulatory ratios; an in-line escapement design that reduces friction; a wheel based time setting system for smoother time setting functions; and a central bridge in INOX steel for better rigidity of the plate and bridge assembly.
The case is almost 40mm wide and 48mm long. It's constructed of 18K white gold and exquisitely finished. The brushed field of the case front contrasts nicely with the high-polish troughs which seem to form the longitude line of a globe. The 3 dimensional aspect of the dial is further enhanced by the recessed deep nautical blue bezel and the white minute track. A yacht club burgee surrounded by the 'Perini Navi Cup' monachre floats on a badge under the glass and between 7 and 8 o'clock.
Unless you keep it hidden under an oversized shirt cuff, any Richard Mille watch will undoubtedly get noticed and quickly become a conversation piece; the Richard Mille RM 015 Perini Navi Cup is certainly no exception. No one but the most knowledgeable of watch collectors will know exactly what it is, but everyone who sees it will know that it's something very special.
