A Formula 1 wristwatch, waiting for the Monza Grand Prix

Although Lewis Hamilton will start with a five-place grid penalty in Ferrari's home race at Monza in the next Grand Prix, the seven-time British champion is a legend for all F1 and Maranello fans. And it is to his face, his team-mate Charles Leclerc and the entire Maranello team that Richard Mille has linked the launch of the RM 43-01 Chronograph Double Tourbillon Ferrari.

In 2022, the collaboration between Richard Mille and Ferrari got off to a flying start, dictating the line with the astonishing RM UP-01 Ferrari: a model that, thanks to a thickness of just 1.75 mm, became the thinnest mechanical watch ever made up to that point (with a price tag very close to €2 million). The second project, presented in Paris last March, runs in the same league: avant-garde watchmaking.

Da sinistra: l’RM 43-01 Cronografo Sdoppiante Tourbillon Ferrari con cassa in Carbon TPT (1,3 milioni di franchi svizzeri, tasse escluse). A fianco, la versione con lunetta e fondello in titanio grado 5 e parte centrale della cassa in Carbon TPT (1,1 milioni di franchi svizzeri, tasse escluse). Entrambi i modelli sono in edizione limitata a 75 esemplari.

There are two versions of the RM 43-01 Chronograph Double Tourbillon Ferrari, both in a limited edition of 75. The first has all the elements of the case in Carbon TPT, while the second has the central part of the case in Carbon TPT, while the bezel and back are in grade 5 micro-pallinated titanium. In both, the case is in the brand's characteristic tonneau shape. The use of innovative materials is one of Richard Mille's hallmarks, and Carbon TPT is one example: it is obtained by stacking hundreds of sheets of carbon fibre no more than 30 microns thick, which are then heated to 120° in machines used by the aeronautical industry. Says Julien Boillat, technical director of cases at Richard Mille: "Every time we design a watch, we look for new ways to improve its performance, and using new materials that guarantee greater durability is one of them. For us it is always a journey towards new technologies and new techniques. Working with Ferrari has been very stimulating in achieving our goal. For this model, the Ferrari team worked for two years with our experts.  

L’hypercar 499P del team Ferrari-AF Corse che ha vinto la 24 Ore di Le Mans nel 2023 e nel 2024. Questo bolide ha ispirato alcuni particolari dell’RM 43-01 Cronografo Sdoppiante Tourbillon Ferrari. L’alettone posteriore, ad esempio, è richiamato nella piastra in titanio con il simbolo del Cavallino Rampante, posizionata sul quadrante a ore 7. Nel 2025 a trionfare a Le Mans è stata sempre una 499P, ma con livrea gialla di AF Corse, scuderia partner di Ferrari.

The Ferrari Style Centre contributed aesthetic elements visible on the skeleton dial such as, for example, the titanium plate with the Maranello house symbol positioned on the dial at 5 o'clock, inspired by the rear wing of the 499P hypercar, the winning bolide in 2023, 2024 and 2025 of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or the pushers that, on the other hand, recall the rear lights of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Maranello's first production hybrid car. But also for the crown, the hands and the strap, the latter made with a motif reminiscent of that seen on the seats of the Ferrari Purosangue which, unveiled in September 2022, was the first four-door, four-seater ever produced by the Italian carmaker. "In terms of performance, everything that has a technical purpose can also be beautiful," stressed Flavio Manzoni, Chief Design Officer of the Cavallino Rampante.

Da sinistra: l’inserimento dell’indicatore dei secondi continui con cinque lame radiali sul tourbillon decentrato con gabbia in titanio. A destra: attraverso il fondello trasparente si vede la complicata architettura del nuovo calibro RM43-01 che anima l’orologio che richiama i motori delle Ferrari ed è stato sviluppato in tre anni di lavoro. Il meccanismo ha una riserva di carica fino a 70 ore. Tra le funzioni, quella di cronografo con i secondi sdoppianti di ultima generazione.

The skeleton dial and transparent case back allow one to observe from both sides of the watch the three-dimensional design of the hand-wound mechanical movement with which it is equipped. This is the new RM43-01 calibre with an off-centre tourbillon (visible at 5 o'clock), whose construction uses state-of-the-art materials such as the aforementioned grade 5 titanium and Carbon TPT and, in some cases, recalls parts of a Ferrari, such as the barrel reminiscent of the V8 engine's clutch wheel. The latest-generation split-seconds chronograph function was developed by Richard Mille together with its historical partner Audemars Piguet Le Locle: here, the two wheels of the mechanism have six columns and are capable of operating the levers of both the split-seconds and chronograph functions. This technical solution thus improves the performance of the movement, in terms of precision and energy savings. The dial displays the 30-minute chronograph, the power reserve and the function indicator that shows, each time the crown is pulled out, the position of the hands and thus whether the watch is winding (W), in neutral (N) or marking time normally (H). In terms of materials, mechanics, design and innovations, the RM 43-01 Chronograph Split-Second Tourbillon Ferrari is a Formula 1 wristwatch. Even in price: it starts at CHF 1.1 million, excluding tax, for the titanium version, and goes up to CHF 1.3 million, again excluding tax, for the Carbon TPT version.