.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The RM056 Prototype
As with most successful artisans of their craft, the dream of becoming a master in their desired field often begins at a young age. This was certainly the case with luxury Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille, who has been able to dream, design and execute timepieces that allude to his childhood passions and the typical interests of young men; engines, mechanics and power! When one looks at the designs of his watches, they are not only seeing a watch, they are transported to a world of exploded views which get right to the heart of the timepiece itself.
The RM056 was designed with this in mind. The idea behind this masterpiece was to create a watch that allowed its wearer to view the entire skeletonized movement through a full sapphire case. One can see inside the watch to its complex mechanics from all angles. And it is indeed the full sapphire case that is possibly the hardest material to navigate. Sapphire is composed of crystals of aluminum oxide which is very difficult to manipulate from the solid blocks that were used into the smooth and fluid curves we see here. In fact, it takes nearly 800 grueling hours between the cutting and the polishing of the synthetic sapphire. After years of research to test the material, the result is a particularly scratch resistant watch with a hardness of 1,800 Vickers, and undoubtedly an extremely impressive modern aesthetic that is water resistant to 50 meters.
The present watch was produced as a prototype, a watch which has been manufactured preceding the normal production run. Although only five examples were ever made of the first edition of the RM056, it is unknown how many prototypes were made. The case back boasts the designation, 'Prototype', and No. 2.
As with most successful artisans of their craft, the dream of becoming a master in their desired field often begins at a young age. This was certainly the case with luxury Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille, who has been able to dream, design and execute timepieces that allude to his childhood passions and the typical interests of young men; engines, mechanics and power! When one looks at the designs of his watches, they are not only seeing a watch, they are transported to a world of exploded views which get right to the heart of the timepiece itself.
The RM056 was designed with this in mind. The idea behind this masterpiece was to create a watch that allowed its wearer to view the entire skeletonized movement through a full sapphire case. One can see inside the watch to its complex mechanics from all angles. And it is indeed the full sapphire case that is possibly the hardest material to navigate. Sapphire is composed of crystals of aluminum oxide which is very difficult to manipulate from the solid blocks that were used into the smooth and fluid curves we see here. In fact, it takes nearly 800 grueling hours between the cutting and the polishing of the synthetic sapphire. After years of research to test the material, the result is a particularly scratch resistant watch with a hardness of 1,800 Vickers, and undoubtedly an extremely impressive modern aesthetic that is water resistant to 50 meters.
The present watch was produced as a prototype, a watch which has been manufactured preceding the normal production run. Although only five examples were ever made of the first edition of the RM056, it is unknown how many prototypes were made. The case back boasts the designation, 'Prototype', and No. 2.