SIGNED RICHARD MILLE, FELIPE MASSA SINGAPORE MODEL, REF. RM005-F.MASSA, NO. 05/40, CIRCA 2007

Extremely rare and almost never seen at auction, the RM005 was introduced in 2004 as the first automatic model from Richard Mille and is now regarded as one of the classic cornerstone models of the brand. The present watch is number 5 of a special edition of 40 pieces in platinum produced for the Singapore boutique and named in honour of Felipe Massa, the Brazilian racing driver who, since 2004, started every Grand Prix with an RM watch on his wrist. Massa, the longest standing sports partner of the Richard Mille family, competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one point.

The platinum RM005 ‘Felipe Massa’ is without doubt the most sought after version of the RM005 and is today extremely difficult to obtain. RM005 was available in 18K white or rose gold, platinum, or titanium and was powered by Cal. RM-005, a self-winding movement developed by the Fleurier-based Vaucher Manufacture. This was no ordinary automatic movement, this was the first caliber to use a variable geometry rotor to suit different lifestyles – this device optimises the winding of the mainspring by adapting it to the user’s activities to prevent overwinding. The movement used a titanium baseplate making it extremely lightweight and was fixed to the case on shock isolating rubber mounts and Richard Mille screws, as opposed to a traditional casing ring.