Richard Mille - Game Changers New York Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Richard Mille
    Year: Circa 2007
    Reference No: RM003 AF PG
    Movement No: No. 83
    Case No: No. 081
    Model Name: RM003-V2
    Material: 18K pink gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. RM003 V2, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold
    Dimensions: 39mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, strap, and buckle signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by original Richard Mille warranty indicating sale on 30th March 2007, leather folio, product literature, cleaning cloth, and inner and outer presentation boxes.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Richard Mille announced his first watch, the RM001 Tourbillon, in 2000. Mille sought to create wristwatches that were 21st century masterpieces, employing cutting edge materials and techniques, but remaining steeped in traditional Swiss watchmaking. Developed together with Audemars Piguet’s complication specialist, Renaud et Papi, the RM001 was a futuristic, high-tech wristwatch with a decidedly Formula One racecar vibe. The watch was unlike any other - sleek and aerodynamic and made with a titanium case and baseplate, it was shockingly lightweight, inverting the notion that a luxury watch must be heavy. Within a year, Mille upgraded the model to the RM002, and shortly thereafter, the RM003, which added a second time zone display.

    The wearer is able to advance the second time zone’s hour indicator via the pusher at 9 o’clock. The sapphire crystal dial features a separate transparent sapphire crystal disc beneath that indicates the second time zone’s hours with Arabic numerals, which come into view when suspended over the white field at 3 o'clock. Prominently displayed between the 4 and 5 positions, the function selector is changed through a button in the crown, similar to the gearbox, the watch can be set to H (Hands) for time selection, N (Neutral) normal running time and W (Winding) for winding. The RM003-V2 was the second evolution of the model. It incorporated a movement baseplate made of a composite carbon nanofiber with grey PVD coating, enabling greater structural rigidity for improved shock resistance. Visible through the sapphire crystal dial, the carbon nanofiber baseplate is not only functional, but also visually appealing.

    The present watch is in excellent overall condition with its original accessories, and with its signature tonneau-shaped case. Being sold to benefit The One Drop Foundation, a charity striving to provide safe drinking water to all communities, the present complete and well-preserved RM 003-V2 is a superb example for the connoisseur.

  • Artist Biography

    Richard Mille

    Swiss • 1999

    Established in 1999, Richard Mille's ultra-modern timepieces combine cutting-edge materials from high performance worlds such as Formula 1 racecars with high-end traditional watchmaking. The brand's revolutionary designs, technical breakthroughs and exceptional hand-finishing excite even the most discriminating collectors, and have positioned Richard Mille alongside the top makers of the modern luxury watch world.

    Innovative watches, such as the RM 027 Tourbillon, which was the world’s lightest mechanical watch when introduced in 2011, have helped the brand invert the concept of the luxury watch. Key models include the RM 009 Tourbillon cased in Aluminum Silicon Carbide (AlSiC), the RM 027-02 Tourbillon made for tennis star Rafael Nadal with a case made from quartz and carbon fiber and the RM 008 split seconds chronograph.

    View More Works

This Lot is to be Sold with No Reserve

15

Lot offered with No Reserve

Ref. RM003 AF PG
A very rare and exceptional pink gold dual-time tourbillon wristwatch with function selector, power reserve and torque indication, with original guarantee, boxes, and accessories, sold to benefit charity

Circa 2007
39mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, strap, and buckle signed.

Estimate
$60,000 - 120,000 
CHF59,700-119,000
€54,400-109,000
HK$469,000-939,000

Sold for $200,000

Contact Specialist
Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas & International Strategy Advisor
Senior Vice President
+1 212 940 1293
pboutros@phillips.com

Game Changers

New York Auction 10 December 2019