Richard Mille - RM 39-01 - Automatic Winding Flyback Chronograph Aviation

CALIBRE RMAC2 Automatic winding movement with hours, minutes, seconds at 3 o’clock, oversize date, month, flyback chronograph with central seconds counter, minutes and countdown counters at 9 o’clock, hour counter at 6 o’clock, UTC function and variable-geometry rotor. Flying has always been one of our passions and we had long dreamt of making a watch—one that would be as comprehensive and complex as possible—to meet the requirements of aircraft pilots. The complexity of the tourbillon model, which took at least seven years to develop—four years longer than planned—enabled us to address many issues in terms of the functions.

Directly based on the RM 039 Tourbillon, this automatic model has many of the functions and complexities of its big brother. The RM39-01’s movement is designed as a flight navigation instrument. This highly technical and extremely sophisticated watch is a modern interpretation of a device that is essential for any experienced pilot: the E6-B slide rule.

The E6B slide rule features a fixed bezel and bi-directional rotating bezel, both marked with several complex indications. It can be used to read and calculate fuel consumption, flight times, ground speed, density altitude and wind influence, and to convert units of measurement (knots/kms/gallons/ litres/ feet/kgs/lbs) quickly. This highly complex bezel required many months of research to ensure easy adjustment as well as optimal visibility of the different calculations and their results.

The RMAC2 automatic calibre which beats at the heart of the RM 39-01, features UTC and countdown functions, a flyback chronograph, an oversized date at 12 o’clock, a month display and a variable geometry rotor. It has almost 620 components and 62 jewels, with a power reserve of 50 hours. This calibre also comes with a special function-locking mechanism.

In order to prevent any accidental in-flight activation of the chronograph, Richard Mille has incorporated a locking crown which, by turning the ring, fixes the pushers and crown in place. The green and red markers indicate whether this is deactivated or running. Top view Right view Back view Left view.