Richard Mille is no stranger to thin mechanical watches, even if the “ultra-thin” category of high-end timepieces is currently in vogue in the overall market. Richard Mille currently has the technical record for the thinnest mechanical watch (well, it is in second place depending on your definition of “complete watch”) with the RM UP-01 Ferrari. That said, more than a decade ago, the original Richard Mille Extraflat rectangular watches were released and they have always been a quirky but cool part of the larger Richard Mille brand. For a long time, the Extraflat watches were priced near entry level (for the brand). That’s still true, but entry level for Richard Mille has increased in price over the years. Richard Mille has now come out with two new variations on its classic rectangular thin automatic watch, and the way it is now positioning this family of watches within the larger brand is interesting. Specifically, the Richard Mille RM 16-20 Automatic Extraflat in grade 5 titanium or terracotta-colored quartz TPT material is being marketed as a high-end fashion item.
Certainly, engineering and material usage prowess are part of how Richard Mille is promoting the RM 16-02. But the brand also produced a legitimate fashion photography shoot to feature the watches, something I’ve never noticed before. In fact, for years and years, brands would merely release pictures of watches floating in space and allow buyers to imagine what they might look like on the wrist. More recently, brands have understood that producing “suggestive” photography (which ends up sometimes being silly or for the wrong demographic but is nevertheless a valuable creative exercise) showing their watches being worn on actual humans is a smart idea. Richard Mille likes to position its watches on celebrities or focus on the impressive technical elements of the designs. It has often veered into the realm of artistic and also jewelry watches, but rarely have I felt that its top-priced watches are being positioned as aspirational items. The marketing around the Richard Mille RM 16-02 Automatic Extraflat watches reminds us that even the wealthiest buyers still need aspirational content to get them imagining how to use a watch and where to wear it.
From a technical standpoint, what is new in the RM 16-02 is the architecture and execution of an existing case profile and movement. Richard Mille calls the movement inside of the RM 16-02 as “new,” which is because it has so many new parts. Most people assume that a new engine operates differently and my understanding is the the impressive Richard Mille calibre CRMA9 shares similar performance architecture as other movements but rather focuses on using new styles of bridges and parts to come up with something fresh feeling. The company really leaned into the angular theme of the watch as that concept defines the shape of the dial, movement, and even the automatic rotor. The printed sapphire crystal dial, and colored titanium bridges are all bespoke for the RM 16-02, and are all about interesting aesthetics and trying to offer something fresh and new for the market. Companies like Richard Mille have a very real obligation as a super-high-end watchmaker to keep inventing and experimenting with new looks.
Not everyone will be a fan of the overall composition’s asymmetric use of angularity; you might call the outcome a study in ordered chaos. This is well-evidenced by the squiggly squared line on the dial that snakes between the mostly cut-off hour markers. It is cool, but the design is hardly horological. That’s why Richard Mille is not even talking about the RM 16-02 as being the next big thing in mechanical watch technology but rather focusing on how interesting and contemporary it is. The watch is about trying to position Richard Mille as a design leader and icon. All great brands want to be this, but establishing that status quo with the mainstream is tricky, and there is no formula for it. I think another way of putting it is that Richard Mille wants people to consider its watches desirable for how they look in addition to how they are priced and who is known to wear them.
The Richard Mille Automatic Extraflat watch case is pretty comfortable, and this new RM 16-02 is supposed to have a slightly new case that is 10% smaller than the outgoing models. The new size is 36mm wide, 9.5mm thick, and has a 45.6mm long lug-to-lug distance. The cases are water-resistant to 30 meters and have sapphire crystals over the dial and back. One version of the RM 16-02 is produced from an all-titanium case and the other uses terracotta-colored composite material known as layered quartz TPT, which has been the subject of many Richard Mille watches for many years. This earthy, reddish-brown color might be a new hue for the brand, though. Attached to the cases are comfy-looking, tapered, matching-color rubber straps.
The calibre CRMA9 automatic movement is quite nice-looking, especially from behind with the most conspicuous feature being the angular (as opposed to half-circular) automatic rotor (weighted with platinum). The movement operates at 4Hz and has about 50 hours of power reserve. It indicates only the time with minutes and hours. Richard Mille explains that the movement bridges require many hours of careful machining and hand-finishing. The watches are also slightly different in price as, apparently, the quartz TPT material is more challenging to work with than titanium. I wonder how being placed on models with the suggestion that these pieces can be worn by either men or women will work with the brand’s consumers. Richard Mille has the ability to experiment with both types of products and product campaigns, so we will see how this goes and the future of Richard Mille’s photo fashion shoots. Price for the Richard Mille RM 16-02 Automatic Extraflat in grade 5 titanium is $134,000 USD, and price for the watch in Terracotta Quartz TPT is $156,000 USD. For more information on the Richard Mille, please visit the brand’s website.
