The next edition of Le Mans Classic will be held from July 6th to 8th, 2012. Richard Mille will naturally be there in its capacity as Principal Partner and Official Timekeeper of the competition, which has become one of the world’s most renowned events for vintage cars.
To mark the event, the brand is unveiling two limited editions: the RM 008 LMC and the RM 011 LMC. These two technically advanced, high-performance sports watches are a tribute to this outstanding race, which offers a retrospective of the famous Le Mans 24 Hours. Both timepieces have been designed using the same approach developed for the construction of racing cars, where chassis, engine and bodywork are imagined as a coherent whole with the single objective of optimum efficiency.
RM 008 LMC Tourbillon Chronograph Watch
For this 6th edition of Le Mans Classic, Richard Mille has chosen to create a tourbillon split-seconds chronograph, the RM 008 LMC. This watch celebrates the race in the purest Le Mans Classic style: the minutes and seconds of the chronograph – indicated by the tourbillon – as well as the torque and function displays echo the blue and yellow colors of the rumble strips on the 24-hour circuit. Another reminder of this historic race is the Le Mans Classic logo positioned on the dial, at 12 o’clock. The case in grade 5 titanium is microblasted and features a DLC-treated caseband. The double striped “Le Mans” type bezel is also microblasted. The RM 008 LMC, released as a limited edition of two timepieces, embodies the synergy between watchmaking and motor racing.
Technical characteristics of the RM 008 LMC Tourbillon Chronograph:
- Manual winding tourbillon movement displaying the hours, minutes and seconds, with split seconds chronograph function and power-reserve, torque and function indicators
- Power reserve: circa 70 hours
- Dimensions: 48.00 mm x 39.70 mm x 14.95 mm
- Limited edition of 2 timepieces in titanium
RM 011 LMC Automatic Chronograph Watch
A limited edition of 150 timepieces, the RM 011 Le Mans Classic watch features a skeletonized automatic movement with flyback chronograph and annual calendar. This watch also has a 24-hour counter positioned at 6 o’clock – a technical refinement that pays tribute to the Le Mans Classic race and to the four hundred cars and drivers who compete in teams on the great Le Mans circuit from 4 p.m. on Saturday to 4 p.m. on Sunday non-stop. As on the RM 008 LMC, the chronograph counters, hands and date display at 12 o’clock are embellished – in honor of Le Mans Classic – with the colors of the rumble strips on the famous racing circuit in the Sarthe. More than 200 separate machining operations are required to make the barrel-shaped titanium case alone. The bezel, meanwhile, is satin-finished with a double “Le Mans” microblasted stripe in the centre. The design and construction of the watch reflects an overall, comprehensive approach to the movement, case and dial.
Technical characteristics of the RM 011 LMC Automatic Chronograph:
- Skeletonized automatic movement displaying the hours, minutes and seconds, flyback chronograph with 24-hour counter, oversize date and month, rotor with variable geometry
- Power reserve: circa 50 hours
- Dimensions: 50 mm x 40 mm x 16.15 mm
- Limited edition of 150 timepieces in titanium
Richard Mille has been the Principal Partner of Le Mans Classic since its first edition in 2002. This international event on the 13-kilometer Le Mans circuit brings over 80 years of motor-racing history back to life, as the cars and drivers who wrote the legend of the world’s most famous race come together on the track. The event immediately became a must for all motor-racing enthusiasts: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 … each new edition has set new attendance records. Since the very first edition, Richard Mille’s involvement in Le Mans Classic race has reflected its passion for motor racing, from Formula 1, where the quest for the ultimate performance inspires the design of our watches, to vintage racing cars, with their beautifully engineered machinery and hand-crafted bodywork. Richard Mille watches exhibit the same uncompromising aspects that are unnecessary in a racing car. All blend extreme technical prowess and performance; assembled and finished by hand, they are the very quintessence in the finest watchmaking tradition.
