Richard Mille announced his first watch, the RM001 Tourbillon, in 2000. Mille sought to create wristwatches that were 21st century masterpieces, employing cutting edge materials and techniques, but remaining steeped in traditional Swiss watchmaking. Developed together with Audemars Piguet’s complication specialist, Renaud et Papi, the RM001 was a futuristic, high-tech wristwatch with a decidedly Formula One racecar vibe. The watch was unlike any other - sleek and aerodynamic and made with a titanium case and baseplate, it was shockingly lightweight, inverting the notion that a luxury watch must be heavy. Within a year, Mille upgraded the model to the RM002, and shortly thereafter, the RM003, which added a second time zone display.

The wearer is able to advance the second time zone’s hour indicator via the pusher at 9 o’clock. The sapphire crystal dial features a separate transparent sapphire crystal disc beneath that indicates the second time zone’s hours with Arabic numerals, which come into view when suspended over the white field at 3 o'clock. Prominently displayed between the 4 and 5 positions, the function selector is changed through a button in the crown, similar to the gearbox, the watch can be set to H (Hands) for time selection, N (Neutral) normal running time and W (Winding) for winding. The RM003-V2 was the second evolution of the model. It incorporated a movement baseplate made of a composite carbon nanofiber with grey PVD coating, enabling greater structural rigidity for improved shock resistance. Visible through the sapphire crystal dial, the carbon nanofiber baseplate is not only functional, but also visually appealing.

The present watch is in excellent overall condition with its original accessories, and with its signature tonneau-shaped case. Being sold to benefit The One Drop Foundation, a charity striving to provide safe drinking water to all communities, the present complete and well-preserved RM 003-V2 is a superb example for the connoisseur.