109
Richard Mille
Ref. RM52-01 AN RG-TZP
RM52-01 Tourbillon “Skull, Piece Unique”
A thrilling and unique pink gold and TZP nano-ceramic tourbillon wristwatch with a pavé gem-set “Jolly Roger” skull, certificate, and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
• Unique piece RM052-01 with pavé diamond- and ruby-set skull and eyepatch
• Fresh-to-market
• Case and dial set with 824 diamonds and rubies totaling 1.5 carats
• Full set and excellent condition
Richard Mille launched 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. His earliest watches were developed together with Audemars Piguet’s complication specialist, Renaud et Papi, and found immediate success both for their sleek aerodynamic designs and case and movement aesthetics that were reminiscent of Formula One race car engines. Since then, the tourbillon has remained an important complication in the Mille oeuvre, and in 2012 the brand released their first “Skull” model, the RM52, a “memento mori” motif that found great success.
The present RM52-01 Skull is an exquisite, unique piece manufactured in 2016, featuring the classic ruby of the tourbillon cage between the skull’s teeth, but in this case, the façade of the Jolly Roger is enhanced with pavé black diamonds and pavé rubies for the “eyepatch”. A distinctly roguish piratical take on the skull, the back of the watch also continues the pavé diamonds and rubies motif.
The signature case and bezel are made from TZP, a low-density material that is highly scratch resistant with a low thermal conductivity coefficient. The case middle is rendered in 18K pink gold with interspersed pavé black diamonds. The case is water resistant to 50 meters, and assembled with grade 5 titainum spline screws used to better control torque.
Unlike any other Richard Mille skull watch offered at public auction, the present watch is offered with its all its original accessories, including an oversized glossy photo of the watch with a note signed by Richard Mille himself.
Richard Mille
Swiss | 1999Established in 1999, Richard Mille's ultra-modern timepieces combine cutting-edge materials from high performance worlds such as Formula 1 racecars with high-end traditional watchmaking. The brand's revolutionary designs, technical breakthroughs and exceptional hand-finishing excite even the most discriminating collectors, and have positioned Richard Mille alongside the top makers of the modern luxury watch world.
Innovative watches, such as the RM 027 Tourbillon, which was the world’s lightest mechanical watch when introduced in 2011, have helped the brand invert the concept of the luxury watch. Key models include the RM 009 Tourbillon cased in Aluminum Silicon Carbide (AlSiC), the RM 027-02 Tourbillon made for tennis star Rafael Nadal with a case made from quartz and carbon fiber and the RM 008 split seconds chronograph.