Richard Mille cheap took the watch world by storm when he launched his brand in 2001, challenging the notion of luxury with lightweight watches, crafted from new materials designed to withstand huge shocks and keep ticking. His sturdy engineering changed paradigms for even the most subtle complications – his first tourbillon movement, the RM001, he created a watch that could run in any situation.
While the vision was his own, he couldn’t do it alone. Inspired by his devout love of Le Mans and Formula 1 racing, Miller sought to make watches the way Formula 1 teams make cars. A Formula 1 team builds between groups of engineers, one for the chassis, one for the aerodynamics, another for the engine, and so on. When it comes to his watches, Mille has assembled a team to make the movement, another team for the case, another team for the strap, and they will work together to achieve his goals: comfortable, shock-resistant, accurate and incredible Lightweight. This vision helped Richard Mille create his famous slogan: “The Racer on the Wrist”.
Richard Mille is not just a huge fan of racing; he is an avid fan of many sports, working closely with Athlete Ambassadors to design watches that can be worn during training and specific sports. For the RM059-01 and RM061-01, Milled partnered with Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake to develop a watch specifically designed to meet the needs of the world’s second fastest 100m and 200m runner. Blake and Mille created the RM59-01 Tourbillon Yohan Blake, and the brand subsequently released a non-tourbillon version, the RM061-01 Manual Winding Yohan Blake, which embodies the same goal: Blake can wear the watch not only for training and competition, but also to win .
The case takes the tonneau shape revived by Richard Mille and adds an asymmetrical band between the two o’clock and five o’clock positions on the right. This prevents the crown from rubbing against the sprinter’s wrist while running, and a titanium crown guard provides additional protection. The bezel and caseback are made of black TZP, a highly scratch-resistant ceramic with low thermal conductivity. The strap is made of carbon TPT and fastened with classic RM 5 grade titanium screws, giving the watch 50 meters of water resistance. This case shape also allows the left side of the watch to be lower and thinner than the right side, which helps with aerodynamics while running, as Yohan Blake wears the watch on his right wrist while racing.
The RM061-01 uses the Richard Mille ultralight RMUL2 movement, the same movement as the RM055 Bubba Watson, creating a lightweight, fully skeletonised movement capable of withstanding 5000 grams of acceleration. Its shock resistance is achieved by connecting the movement to the case through four shock absorbers, which virtually eliminate all shocks to the movement.
The RMUL2 movement is made of grade 5 titanium and treated with PVD and Titalyt, combining polished finishes and beveled edges. This finishing makes the movement feel deeper than its lacklustre 3.15mm. The twin-barrel system that powers the RMUL2 movement distributes torque evenly across the entire gear train while providing a power reserve of 55 hours.
The iconic green and yellow of the watch represent the colors of the Jamaican flag and Yohan Blake. A green inner bezel that contrasts with the black bezel aids readability, while a yellow and green bridge above the movement provides additional legibility, helping the hands stand out from the skeletonized movement ticking below .
The combination of black, green, yellow and white throughout the watch opens up opportunities for multiple strap colors. Thanks to the strap and case design, this watch looks fast on the wrist and is comfortable all day. From the extraordinary light weight, to the advanced materials and construction, you can tell this is a watch designed to win the race without compromise. The RM 61-01 lives up to Richard Mille’s ideal of wrist racing.
Specification
Model Name: RM 061 Manual Winding Yohan Blake
Reference number: RM061-01
Case Size + Material: 50mm, TZP Ceramic and Carbon TPT
Case back: exhibition
Caliber: RMUL2, manual winding
Complications/functions: hours, minutes, stopwatch
Band/Bracelet: Rubber
