RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren W1

October 8, 2024

Richard Mille reveals its fourth creation to emerge from its collaboration – on-going since 2016 – with the celebrated British supercar maker McLaren: the RM 65-01 McLaren Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph W1.

The new McLaren W1 supercar that inspired the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is the ground-breaking successor to two of the greatest supercars ever – the McLaren F1 (1992) and McLaren P1TM (2013) – and 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 has simulated the partnership: pushing the boundaries of performance, driven by passion and human interaction.

The Ultimate Powerplant For The 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 charged in little time using the special pusher made from orange Quartz TPT®.

And, in-keeping with McLaren’s “performance everywhere” principle ensuring that the W1 is the ultimate supercar, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is also perfect for daily use thanks to both the built-in robustness of the 480-part movement and its variable geometry winding rotor that can be adjusted to the wearer’s lifestyle. The view through the crystal enables the grey electroplasma treatment of the grade 5 titanium baseplate to be fully appreciated, along with the black PVD and grey electroplasma treated grade 5 titanium bridges.

Regarding the development of the RM 65-01 calibre, Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movements at Richard Mille, said: ‘This project perfectly illustrates Richard Mille’s philosophy of constantly pushing technical boundaries to create innovative watches that include the latest watchmaking developments with a functional, practical and high-performance approach.’

Bespoke Bodyworkout – The RM 65-01 McLAREN W1: A Watch Like No Other

Just as the McLaren W1 is engineered to be the marque’s most focused and advanced supercar to date, so 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 design features.
In 2022 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 W1’s indented ‘double’ bezel which posed one of the greatest technical challenges in the development of the watch.

Drawing from the W1’s compact and muscular shape, high waist line and anhedral door, the Carbon TPT® bezel sits upon a satin-finished and polished grade 5 titanium second bezel, showcasing advanced engineering. Its curves reveal the Carbon TPT® caseband, adding depth and emphasizing the watch’s contours. It required nine months of work during which eight prototype designs were experimented with.

The bezel upper part is a mere five tenths of a millimetre thick at its thinnest point– the equivalent of five Post-It notes – making it the thinnest bezel Richard Mille has ever produced.

The Brand also developed a new skeletonised titanium dial design based on the McLaren’s wheel rim patterns and subtly highlighting details with colours that are synonymous with the marque, evoking the feel of a supercar dashboard and more importantly, enhance the practicality of the watch in use.

Driving Dynamics

Being a true driver’s watch, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 features the celebrated ‘function selector’ crown which operates along the lines of a transmission selector by giving the option to choose between three different positions W for “Winding”, D for “Date” or H for “Hand-Setting”.

The crown, specifically designed for the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 and based on the splines seen on the W1’s drive shafts, is made from grade 5 titanium with a partial, easy-to-grip rubber coating in McLaren papaya orange and a tip adorned with the McLaren ‘Speedmark’. Wheel rim details also inspired the shape of the chronograph pushers and rapid winding button, all of which are mounted on exquisitely crafted titanium frames based on the cut-outs seen in the lightweight seats typically used in McLaren supercars.

The aerodynamic angles of the foils and ducts found on the W1’s engine cover and ground-effect spoilers are reflected in patterns seen on the papaya orange rubber strap, while turning the watch over and looking through the sapphire crystal case back reveals the superbly-finished movement.

The RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren W1: A horological manifestation of the desire shared by Richard Mille and McLaren not merely to break records – but to break new ground.

1 of 8