This limited-edition Ferrari collaboration is no ordinary timepiece. How many other watches are tested in a real-life Formula 1 car?
Putting a Formula 1-inspired watch through its paces in an actual F1 car, on the wrist of an actual F1 driver, may not be the typical watchmaking test bed—but then again Richard Mille is not your typical watch brand. Back in 2004, just three years after it was founded, the watchmaker partnered with its first ever ambassador, Felipe Massa. The legendary Brazilian racer wore RM watches throughout his Formula 1 career—and most famously as a Ferrari driver—delivering invaluable feedback on the watch’s performance.
Fast-forward to 2021 and Richard Mille and the prancing horse marque have officially become partners—and debuted with the ground-breaking RM UP-01 Ferrari. At a mindboggling 1.75 mm thick, the watch was a feat of engineering and technical artistry, which astonished the horological world with its credit card-like, ultra-flat form —a stark departure from Richard Mille’s signature tonneau shape.
So how to follow up such a smashing debut? Enter the new RM 43-01 Ferrari, a state-of-the-art tourbillon split-seconds chronograph that exudes both brands’ most coveted touchpoints. Back is the tonneau shape and skeletonised dial, featuring a tourbillon escapement set rakishy off centre, its titanium carriage matching the grade 5 titanium baseplate and bridges crafted in both titanium and carbon TPT. Meanwhile an active seconds display coolly features five radial blades set against a 12-second index.
The Ferrari nods are head-turners, too. Component finishes echo an engine’s sandcast elements, while the tifosi, as the marque’s fans are known, will clock the watch’s aerodynamic case, pushers and indexes, which take their cues from Ferrari favourites like the 488 Challenge Evo, Daytona SP3 and SF90 Stradale. The most eagle-eyed aficionados won’t miss the golden hexagonal socket-head screws either, which echo the detail found on Ferrari engine blocks and crankcases.
Limited to 150 pieces—75 in microblasted titanium, 75 in carbon TPT —the RM 43-01 coincides with the news that the two brands will extend their partnership by another five years—much needed, really, given these watches can take nearly three years to develop. But some things are worth the wait.
