With its three-dimensional aesthetics and brilliant colors, the new Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley presents the vivid quality of waking dreams. A colorful, poetic and lively piece, limited to 50 pieces. A captivating masterpiece whose positive vibrations distill a universal language, the smile. The yellow circle, the two oval eyes and the big upturned mouth drawn by Franklin Loufrani more than 50 years ago have become established symbols in the collective consciousness. It embodies positivity, joy and sharing, and has played a major role at the heart of pop culture for generations of creatives.
This leadership role was enough for Richard Mille’s team to begin creating an emotion-driven watch that emphasized all of these values, the Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley. The RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley is a highly technical and creative timepiece that took three years to develop. Each of its decorative elements is a joyous emanation of the smiley world: a blooming flower, warm sunshine, delicious pineapples, blooming cacti, pink flamingos and brightly colored rainbows. Sip festive cocktails drop by drop, as the wine glasses in the neon pop scene suggest. best watches
The RM 88 Tourbillon Smiley has seen a series of technical and aesthetic challenges successfully overcome. The watch features an ATZ white ceramic and red gold case and measures 48.15 x 39.74 x 13.30 mm. The Richard Mille RM 88 has two baseplates: a technical baseplate that supports the CRMT7 in-house movement, a skeletonized automatic tourbillon movement with hours, minutes and functions, and an auxiliary baseplate that holds the decoration on the left. dial. Subsequently mounted to the movement, a second base plate presents the object on an inclined plane for added volume.
The size and weight of the golden miniature sculptures created by engraver Olivier Kuhn required special care, as each assembled part weighing less than 1 gram had to be able to withstand a variety of shocks. It was then necessary to determine how to arrange the objects in three-dimensional space around the central theme “smiley”, not only to maximize their effect, but also to facilitate the watchmaker to insert them.
No effort has been spared in finishing, down to the tiniest detail of every element in this display. The never-ending pursuit of perfection, green PVD coated leaves, pineapple micro-blasted and polished surface, gold cactus micro-blasted, polished to remove PVD coating and sun one by one, micro-blasted gold treatment with polished light . In keeping with watchmaking tradition, all finishing operations on the RM 88 Smiley are done by hand.
The bezel and case back are made of ATZ white ceramic. This is made from a tube of aluminium oxide powder injected under a pressure of nearly 2,000 bar. This high-pressure injection increases stiffness by 20 to 30 percent and minimizes material porosity. ATZ is known for its high scratch resistance (1,400 Vickers hardness) and unchanging color. Second only to diamond, it is one of the hardest materials in the world. A long and complex machining with diamond tools was required to create this perfect example of the intricately curved bezel and satin finish. The strap is made of 18K 5N red gold, and the triple case is water-resistant to 50 meters, secured by 2 nitrile rubber O-rings. The case is assembled with 12 grade 5 titanium spline screws and 316L stainless steel wear washers.
Flip the watch over and you can see the in-house movement CRMT7 that powers the Richard Mille RM 88 Tourbillon Smiley. The movement is made of micro-blasted grade 5 titanium with a PVD treatment that provides great rigidity to the baseplate and bridges, as well as the precise surface flatness that is essential for the perfect functioning of the gear train. Grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant and very hard alloy that enables gear trains to function effortlessly. The alloy is 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This combination further enhances the mechanical properties of the material, which explains its frequent use in the aerospace, aviation and automotive industries.
Like a car’s gearbox, a function indicator lets people see where the winding and manual settings are when the crown is pulled out. The active position is indicated by a hand at 3 o’clock. The design and execution of the watch demonstrates a holistic approach to the concept of movement, case and dial. Therefore, everything is built to extremely strict specifications. For example, instead of using case rings, the movement is mounted on chassis-mounted rubber held in place by titanium screws.
Brand Richard Mille
Model RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley
Reference RM 88
Case material ATZ white ceramic and red gold
Aspect 48,15mm x 39,74mm x 13,30mm
Water resistance 5 bar (~50 m)
Dial 3D dial with colorful elements
Strap/Bracelet Yellow Velcro Strap
Mobile movement CRMT7
Movement type automatic
Power reserve about 50 hours (± 10%)
Frequency 28,800 times/hour (4 Hz)
Function Hours, minutes, function indicator