Cover The finest filigree of the new Richard Mille, RM 43-01 being meticulously assembled and checked
The finest filigree of the new Richard Mille, RM 43-01 being meticulously assembled and checked
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Richard Mille’s newest timepiece, the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari, measures time and torque to a groundbreaking T
0.895 seconds, 9.748 seconds, 1.423 seconds... These are merely fractions in the continuum of time, yet in Formula 1, they represent the razor’s edge between triumph and defeat. In such an extreme sport, where drivers dedicate their lives to the pursuit of speed only to risk everything each time they take to the track, where engineers devote countless hours to perfecting what are essentially land‑bound spacecraft; precision and timing transcend importance—they become a matter of existence.
It is precisely this realm of microsecond margins and uncompromising excellence where two titans of innovation find their natural confluence. When Richard Mille and Ferrari announced their partnership in 2021, the watchmaking and motorsport worlds recognised it as not just another brand collaboration, but as a meeting of equals. Now, with the unveiling of the Richard Mille RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari, we witness the material embodiment of this shared obsession with performance pushed to its ultimate expression.
See also: Richard Mille x McLaren: Everything to know about the RM 65-01 McLaren W1
Above A close-up comparison of the polished grade 5 titanium with a carbon TPT and the full Carbon TPT
A close-up comparison of the polished grade 5 titanium with a carbon TPT and the full Carbon TPT
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There is a sacred consistency and peace to watchmaking. It is where, ironically, time stands still, where traditional, time‑honoured techniques are held to the highest regard and engineered to the finest, most minute degree. For centuries, the art of haute horology has existed in this rarefied atmosphere of hushed workshops and steady hands, a world where success is measured in incremental improvements rather than revolutionary breakthroughs.
It was against this backdrop of watchmaking’s measured inertia that Richard Mille emerged as a disruptive force in 2001, infusing the contemplative world of fine timekeeping with the high-octane acceleration of motorsport engineering. The brand introduced a new vocabulary to horology—one of torque, structural integrity and performance optimisation—the same language that defines Ferrari’s approach to F1 development.
“What we find in Ferrari is a reflection of our own values,” explains Richard Mille brand director Alexandre Mille. “The obsession with milliseconds, the never-ending quest for materials that can withstand incredible forces while remaining impossibly light—these are the principles that guide both our businesses.”
Their collaboration transcends the typical brand alliance, venturing instead into shared research and development territories. This philosophical communion yielded its first masterpiece in 2022—the groundbreaking RM UP-01 Ferrari, which at just 1.75 mm thick demonstrated the fusion of Ferrari’s aerodynamic thinking with Richard Mille’s structural innovations. The new RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split‑Seconds Chronograph Ferrari represents the natural evolution of this symbiotic relationship—a timepiece that embodies the spirit of F1 not through racing motifs, but through genuine engineering philosophy.
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Above Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton wearing the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari
Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton wearing the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari
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The design: Racing DNA materialised
The RM 43-01 comes in two distinct iterations: one is a “gentleman driver” version in microblasted and polished grade 5 titanium with a carbon TPT caseband, and the other with a more high-octane attitude in full carbon TPT. Both are limited to 75 pieces each, creating an exclusive run of 150 watches worldwide.
Richard Mille creative director Cécile Guenat, with her multidisciplinary background in fashion and jewellery design, brings a fresh perspective to the traditionally male-dominated world of high-performance watchmaking. “My goal was to translate Ferrari’s engineering ethos into a timepiece that feels organic on the wrist while still communicating that unmistakable motorsport DNA,” Guenat explains. This perspective manifests in the fluid ergonomics of the case design, which despite its technical complexity, maintains a visual harmony that transcends utilitarian approaches to sports chronographs.
The tonneau-shaped case mirrors the monocoque construction of a modern F1 chassis—not as design mimicry but as functional parallelism. This multilayered structure provides exceptional rigidity while maintaining the lightweight properties essential to both racing cars and high‑performance timepieces.
Ferrari’s Centro Stile played an instrumental role throughout the two-year development process, influencing everything from the general aesthetic to specific details such as the crown, the hands, and the strap featuring the pattern of the Purosangue seats. The space deliberately left open during the movement’s development is filled with a titanium plate laser-engraved with the Prancing Horse logo, whose shape draws inspiration from the rear wing of the 499P. Microblasted and satin-finished with polished bevels, it exemplifies the meticulous craftsmanship present throughout the calibre.
The skeletonised dial architecture evokes the exposed mechanical elements of an F1 car. The chronograph pushers, resembling paddle shifters, are positioned for ergonomic efficiency—a direct translation of Ferrari’s cockpit design philosophy.
Even the colour scheme serves a functional purpose rather than mere visual stimulation. The signature Ferrari Rosso Corsa, or racing red, colour appears as a functional marker, highlighting critical chronograph functions just as colour-coding identifies crucial systems in a racing car’s complex architecture. The titanium bridges of the movement have been PVD-treated in black, creating visual depth reminiscent of both an F1 engine bay and the watch’s complex mechanisms.
As Ferrari chief design officer Flavio Manzoni notes: “A collaboration like this is as much predicated on similarities in values as it is on the visual similarities between a Ferrari engine or component and the elements used in a watch. In terms of performance, anything that has a technical purpose can also be beautiful. The concept of functional beauty is something that we really love.”
Above The RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari in carbon TPT
Above The iteration in microblasted and polished grade 5 titanium with a carbon TPT caseband
The RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari in carbon TPT
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Technical virtuosity: Beyond conventional watchmaking
The heart of the RM 43-01—its movement—represents horological engineering at its zenith. The manual-winding calibre RM43‑01 integrates a split-seconds chronograph with a tourbillon, one of the most challenging combinations in contemporary watchmaking. Engineered from the ground up over three years in collaboration with Richard Mille’s long-time partner Audemars Piguet Le Locle (APLL), the movement achieves a level of precision that matters not just theoretically but in the practical measurement of critical intervals—exactly as required in F1 timing.
Exceptionally lightweight yet strong, its intricate architecture rests on a highly skeletonised grade 5 titanium baseplate with bridges produced from both titanium and carbon TPT. This engineering marvel delivers 70 hours of power reserve, indicated at 2 o’clock on a 5N PVD titanium dial. The quality of this energy is visible through a second dial via the torque indicator, with a function selector indicator completing this technical dashboard.
The chronograph mechanism employs a column wheel system with vertical coupling, ensuring instant start with zero hesitation when activated—a direct parallel to the launch control systems in Ferrari’s racing vehicles. The split-seconds function allows for intermediate timing with precision, crucial in a sport where fractional measurements determine victory or defeat.
The off-centre tourbillon escapement with a titanium carriage brings kinetic energy to the watch, enhanced by an innovative active seconds display using five radial blades read against a 12-second index. The tourbillon cage itself weighs mere fractions of a gram despite containing multiple components—an exercise in micro‑engineering that mirrors Ferrari’s weight reduction strategies.
The material innovation is equally impressive. The baseplate and bridges undergo more than 50 hours of critical machining and finishing operations, achieving tolerances measured in microns—the same exacting standards applied to F1 engine components. Through intensive research and development and computer simulations, APLL developed a new generation of components optimised for power consumption, while delivering more consistent torque levels throughout the power reserve.
“Our work as movement manufacturers is becoming increasingly scientific, which is helping us create components that are even more durable while delivering even better performance,” explains Salvador Arbona, technical director for movements at Richard Mille.
The finishing of these components further establishes the Ferrari connection: the metallic finish of the baseplate echoes the industrial precision of sandcast engine components, while microblasted bridges recall the toughened matt surface of Ferrari engine covers. Angular structures with raised ridges, contrasting tonalities, and tiny X-shaped supports, interspersed with golden hexagonal socket-head screws, directly reference patterns and details found on Ferrari engine blocks and crankcases.
On the front, the clutch wheel of a V8 engine informs the design of the barrel jewel setting, while dynamic, angular exterior details from models such as the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, Daytona SP3, and SF90 Stradale influence elements of the case styling, pushers, and indexes. The skeletonised 30-minute totaliser dominates the dial like a tachometer on a Ferrari dashboard—a dramatic, three‑dimensional lynchpin of the chassis layout.
Above Ferrari's Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc getting a preview of the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph
The ultimate representation of synergy
Unveiled in March, the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari represents the pinnacle of technical watchmaking informed by motorsport engineering principles. In a world where brand collaborations often result in superficial aesthetic treatments, this timepiece stands as testimony to what happens when two technical pioneers share not just their logos, but their fundamental approach to mechanical excellence.
“This watch celebrates the essence of time,” reflects Julien Boillat, who in his role as technical director for cases at Richard Mille, has dedicated countless hours ensuring that the RM 43-01’s exterior matched the brilliance of its movement. “It’s about experiencing time in a new way—feeling its passage with the same intensity as a driver experiences each second on the track. Having Ferrari as co-pilots on this journey inspired us to explore exciting new possibilities.”
This is the ultimate representation of horological and automotive synergy—where aesthetics meet function and passion drives innovation. The RM 43-01 is not a watch that merely borrows from racing; it is a chronograph born from it. And for the fortunate 150 who will wear this timepiece, it offers something beyond luxury: a constant connection to that extraordinary world where every second counts, every gram matters, and excellence is not just pursued—it is achieved.
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