Mapper » Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon watch

RM47 Tourbillon and the Samurai Era A marriage of art and spirituality – Richard Mille’s new masterpiece concept is an aesthetic tribute to Japanese culture. The Richard Mille RM 47 Tourbillon watch is the result of careful planning and nearly four years of design work.

The RM47 Tourbillon is a superbly crafted timepiece with an extremely compact movement. It is specifically designed to accommodate stylized, handcrafted samurai armor.

The model was born out of friendly conversations between Richard Mille and two-time Formula 1 world champion and brand partner Fernando Alonso, an expert in traditional Japanese art and Passionate lover of samurai principles.

The new model joins the brand’s typically renowned range of “decorative” watches. Entirely handcrafted by engraver Pierre-Alain Lozeron and painted by his wife Valérie Lozeron, the samurai armor showcases different aspects of traditional Japanese culture.

The armor is reminiscent of the samurai's code of honor, "buschido," whose values are still widespread in Japanese society. It's crafted from 3N gold, reminiscent of the gold leaf used in ancient Japan to decorate the country's most beautiful shrines and various traditional craft pieces.

Many details mention the Asano clan, a family that represents the spirit of Bushido. The 18th century family lord Asano Eitoku, also the lord of the 47 Ronin, avenged himself and then followed him into the afterlife. Her family crest, the clan’s crest – each samurai clan has one – is immortalized on the tourbillon at six o’clock. This symbol - two crossed falcon feathers, expressing strength in war and the authority of the ruler - can also be seen intricately carved on the helmets of warriors.

The crown is made of titanium, Carbon TPT® and polished 3N gold and features a Japanese maple leaf pattern, symbolizing the seasons and the elegance, beauty and transience of life. Finally, below you can see the two swords in their scabbards, blades pointing up; ready to retreat quickly in case of danger.

This kind of decoration, whether sculptural or carving, requires patience, meticulousness, skill and passion. "Between the sword and the chisel, between the edge of the blade and the notch defined by the technical precision of the carving, there are many parallels that recall the similarities between the qualities of these warriors and those required of our craft ,” explained Pierre-Alain of Loseron.

In total, it took a full 16 hours of engraving and 9 hours of painting (over a day) to create the 11 components that make up the Samurai and perfectly integrate them into the RM 47 tourbillon movement, both front and back.

The armor acts like a guard, providing valuable protection to the hand-wound RM 47 movement with hours and minutes display.

To ensure the best performance of the movement, the bridges and skeletonized bridges are made of grade 5 titanium, a biocompatible alloy commonly used in the aerospace industry, and coated with black PVD. This combination provides high corrosion resistance, excellent stiffness and a perfectly flat surface. The movement, case and decoration of the RM 47 reflect a design approach that ensures the harmonious and efficient integration of various elements.

The tonneau-shaped case consists of three parts: the middle part of the case made of 3N gold, and the bezel and case back made of black TZP ceramic. With its extraordinary appearance, the 75 RM 47 Tourbillon watch not only evokes the spirituality and values ​​of the buschido code, but also embodies the firm pursuit of perfection and respect for tradition.

Technical features of RM47 Tourbillon - Samurai Time
Case: The bezel and case back of the RM 47 are made of black TZP ceramic. This low-density material (6 g/cm3) is highly scratch-resistant and has a low thermal conductivity. Composed of 95% yttrium-stabilized zirconium, TZP has a distinct texture that ensures a perfect surface finish.
A long and difficult machining and grinding process using diamond tools is required to create the complex shapes of the bezel and caseback, which are then given a matte finish.
The middle part of the case is made of 18K 3N gold. The three-piece housing features two nitrile O-ring seals for waterproofing. It is assembled from 20 grade 5 titanium spline screws and stainless steel wear washers.
Case dimensions: 42.70 x 16.25 x 50.00 mm
Torque-Limiting Crown: This safety system prevents accidental over-winding when winding the watch, which could damage the winding shaft or put extreme stress on the mainspring.
Crystal: Bezel made of sapphire (1,800 Vickers hardness) on one side with anti-reflective coating (on both sides). Height: 1.50 mm.
Sapphire case back with anti-reflective coating (double-sided). Height: Center 1.20mm; Edge 2.04mm.
Movement: RM47 manual winding movement with tourbillon, hours and minutes. Power reserve 72 hours (±10%)
Cleats and bridges are made of grade 5 titanium. This biocompatible, extremely corrosion-resistant and very hard alloy allows gear trains to function optimally. The alloy is composed of 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This compound improves the mechanical properties of the material, which is why it is often used in the aerospace and automotive industries. Made of finely sandblasted grade 5 titanium and gray PVD coating, giving the entire structure excellent stability and an absolutely flat surface.
The skeleton panels and bridges undergo intensive and comprehensive validation testing to optimize their durability.
Samurai armor made of 3N gold
The samurai armor protecting the RM47 movement is made of 3N gold and is entirely hand-engraved. In order to make the armor look as real as possible, 20 specially crafted engraving machines took 16 hours to create and then 9 hours to hand-paint each model. This creation of Pierre-Alain Lozeron would not have been possible without qualities such as patience, experience and dexterity.
Free-oscillating balance wheel with variable moment of inertia
This type of balance wheel provides greater reliability when subjected to shocks and when assembling and disassembling the movement, thus improving long-term accuracy. The return pointer has been omitted in favor of four adjustment screws, allowing for more precise and repeatable adjustments.
Fast rotating barrel (6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours)
This type of barrel has the following advantages: a significant reduction in temporary sticking of the spring blades, thereby improving performance, and an excellent delta value for the mainspring tension curve, with ideal power ratio and uniformity.
Barrel Locking Cone for Progressive Relapse
This device allows the watch to be wound up significantly more efficiently (around 20%), especially at the beginning of the process. It is also used to evenly distribute the tension of a tension spring.
Cylindrical tooth and small bottom gear transmission with central involute profile
The central involute toothing of the barrel and pinion ensures an optimal pressure angle of 20°. This ensures efficient rotation and compensates for any deviations in the gear train movement. This ensures excellent transmission of torque and significantly improves gait results.
Grade 5 titanium spline screws for bridges and case
This allows for better control of the torque applied to the screw when tightening it. They are unaffected by human intervention when assembling or disassembling the piece and show little signs of aging.
Other features:
– Movement dimensions: 32.80 x 30.90 mm, height: 6.80 mm
– Tourbillon diameter: 10.90 mm
– Balance wheel diameter: 9.12 mm
– Stone: 19
– Balance: Glucydur®, 2 arms, 4 adjusting screws, moment of inertia 11.50 mg·cm2, angle of elevation 53°
– Frequency: 21,600 times/hour (3 Hz)
– Coil spring: elinvar by Nivarox®
– Impact protection: KIF ELASTOR KE 160 B28
– Spring shaft: Made of nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following properties: Rust-proof – Anti-magnetic – Suitable for tempering
Finish
Clockwork: Hand polished bevels, fine sandblasted hollows, external surfaces polished or striped, Samurai armor is made of 3N gold, hand carved, decorated and painted
Steel parts: fine sandblasted finish, satin polished finish, hand polished bevels, hand polished top, matte finish on bottom. Hand-painted vertical lines on the sides, polished cover
Profile turning: ground and polished tips, rolled tenons
Wheels: Concave beveled with diamond tools, rounded edges, rhodium plated (before cutting teeth), minimizes wheel correction to maintain geometry and performance.