In essence, vintage races might not be as much about motorsport as they are about parading, where wealthy car collectors delicately drive priceless classic racing cars on the track at low speeds, fearing damage to their unique museum pieces.
The biennial Le Mans Classic at the world-renowned Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, is not such an event. For 24 hours, this event gathers over 700 of the most historic racing cars from Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, BMW, and Porsche on one of the world's fastest and most treacherous tracks. Cars that participated in the "24 Hours of Le Mans" between 1923 and 2013 can compete. The event draws top drivers from around the world for real race-paced competition and attracts more than 135,000 spectators.
The high-end watch brand Richard Mille has been closely associated with Le Mans Classic since the first event in 2002. Ahead of the upcoming race in July 2022 and the special centenary run in honor of the 100th anniversary of the "24 Hours of Le Mans" in 2023, the brand announced the release of a striking new limited edition commemorative watch series.
The new limited edition Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic, featuring a sporty green-and-white case design in honor of the Le Mans Classic logo, with special nods to the event integrated into the movement complications, represents a striking ultramodern luxury dedicated to one of the world's greatest shows of vintage speed.
The Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic case measures 40.1 mm by 48.15 mm and is crafted in the brand's signature streamlined and multi-layered "tonneau" shape. While this shape should be familiar to brand enthusiasts, the RM 029 Le Mans Classic takes on a new sporty direction with the use of the brand's signature multi-layered Quartz TPT material in deep British Racing Green and stark white. It is created by laying hundreds of layers of microscopically thin silica fibers with random interweaving, then baking them in an autoclave and processing the resulting material. This results in a damascus pattern with random stripes in the finished product.
Like most Richard Mille cases, this model features a multi-layer construction: a white central case sits between separate green bezel and case back. However, for the first time in the brand's history, the bezel features inlaid racing stripes, created by gluing individual pieces of white Quartz TPT to the green base structure of the bezel. The effect is unique and undoubtedly impressive, but this bonding approach may potentially create a structurally weak point in the case.
The crown at 3 o’clock adds a touch of bright contrast with a grip ring in radiant orange. While the overall look of the watch is ultramodern and race-ready, it successfully employs the green-and-white color scheme of the Le Mans Classic competition, as with many other Richard Mille models, water resistance remains its "Achilles' heel." The brand rates these watches at a mediocre 50 meters.
As with most Richard Mille models, the RM 029 Le Mans Classic features a complex skeletonized dial construction. Upon closer inspection, the thin sapphire dial surface reveals elements like aggressive green and white Arabic numerals floating above the skeletonized movement. The design employs classic Richard Mille features, such as the skeletonized date indicator at the "4 o'clock" position and bold skeletonized baton hands, with these signature elements presented in a sporty green, white, and orange color scheme. However, the true centerpiece of the dial design is the 24-hour subdial at the "2 o'clock" position.
Instead of the traditional hands and indices arrangement, the RM 029 Le Mans Classic subdial uses an outer ring and a skeletonized disc hand, each with its own full 24-hour scale. The static outer 24-hour ring forms the standard index, while a blue triangle on the disc hand indicates the current time. Interestingly, the blue marker does not align with midnight on the hand's 24-hour scale, but rather with 4:00 PM, symbolizing the traditional start time for the Le Mans Classic and the "24 Hours of Le Mans." Once the watch owner becomes accustomed to the unusual layout, it can also serve as a countdown timer to the race start.
While the blue triangle points to the current time on the outer 24-hour scale, the 24-hour marker on the outer scale indicates the time remaining until the end of the iconic 24-hour race. Although it may not be the most practical complication beyond planning driver changes in the pits at the Circuit de la Sarthe, it is a playful and detailed nod to the most important start time in endurance racing. A more overt nod to the event is made by Richard Mille at the "7 o'clock" position, where a printed version of the Le Mans Classic logo pays homage to the distinctive shape of the Dunlop Bridge on the track.
Richard Mille equips the RM 029 Le Mans Classic with its in-house Calibre RMAS7 skeletonized automatic movement. The titanium bridges, plate, and balance wheel of the Calibre RMAS7, made from grade 5 titanium, have an aggressive modernist finish with black PVD coating and bead blasting. The shapes of these elements are complex and automotive, with various features reminiscent of racing suspensions, clutch discs, and ventilated brake rotors.
The high-tech appearance of the Calibre RMAS7 is not just superficial, as the movement boasts advanced components, including a free-sprung Glucydur balance with variable inertia and a variable-geometry winding rotor that can be adjusted to the owner's level of physical activity to prevent overloading the winding mechanism. Thanks to twin mainspring barrels, the power reserve is also significantly above average: Richard Mille claims 55 hours at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per second.
Richard Mille completes the RM 029 Le Mans Classic with a ventilated version of a tapering structured white rubber strap that seamlessly integrates into the case without lugs and provides a bold contrast with the green bezel and case back.
The limited edition Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic, with its bold, dynamic design that highlights the brand's ongoing partnership with Le Mans Classic while subtly paying tribute to the event's history, represents an ultramodern addition to the historic competitors on the track.
Only 150 pieces of the Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic will be produced. The watches are available now from authorized dealers for $176,000 USD. For more detailed information, visit the brand's website.