You Can Now Pair Your McLaren W1 With A Matching Richard Mille Chrono
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With McLaren revealing their new W1 to the world, watchmaker Richard Mille has also dropped a timepiece inspired by the new luxury supercar. The RM 65-01 McLaren Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph W1 represents the fourth creation to emerge from its partnership with British luxury supercar and elite motorsports company.
Four-Wheeled Inspiration
The new McLaren W1 supercar that inspired the RM 65-01 is the ground-breaking successor to two of the greatest supercars ever – the McLaren F1 (1992) and McLaren P1TM (2013). It elevates the McLaren ‘1’ car lineage to new heights in every aspect of performance.
The brief for the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 required the watch to reflect the cutting edge, high-performance features of the car in terms of its shape, materials and functionality as well as the ‘engine’ that powers it. This development highlights the shared values that have given life to the partnership: push the boundaries of performance, driven by passion and human connection.
Ultimate Driving Watch
Richard Mille chose to power the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 with its most high-performance automatic chronograph movement, the RMAC4 that beats at an appropriately high speed of 5Hz or 36,000 vibrations per hour.
This high rate of oscillation enables the split-seconds chronograph calibre to record elapsed times down to just one tenth of a second, while the movement’s vertical clutch and the two six-column wheels ensure precise and ultra-smooth activation of the chronograph.
Also on the theme of speed, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1’s movement (which sits on chassis mounting rubbers instead of being secured by a conventional casing ring) features a ‘rapid winding’ system which enables the 60-hour power reserve to be fully recharged in little time using the special push piece made from orange Quartz TPT.
Bespoke Bodywork
Just as the McLaren W1 is engineered to be the marquee’s most focused and advanced supercar to date, the watch that complements it is among the most technically complex of all Richard Mille’s ‘Racing Machines on the Wrist’.
Wrapping around the automatic split-seconds chronograph movement of the watch just as the W1’s swooping bodywork cocoons its engine and occupants, the 43.84 x 49.94 x 16.19 mm Carbon TPT case of the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 was inspired by the car’s lines.
Early in the W1’s development phase, the Richard Mille creative team directed by Cécile Guenat, Creative and Development Director, was given exclusive access to the first clay mock-ups of the W1 in order to take inspiration from its shape – and determined that a view of the car from above would be the starting point.
The W1’s striking design which is built around the ‘unique McLaren “aero-cell” architecture gave rise to the RM 65-01 McLaren’s indented ‘double’ bezel which posed one of the greatest technical challenges in the creation of the watch.
(Images: Richard Mille)