The Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur Replica Watch is technically a ladies watch, but at 45 mm by 38 mm it is rather large. That being said, the diamond-spangled case, bright purplish flower, diamond time dial and dark grey movement all play together to form what I believe to be one of the most stunning watches produces in quite a long time… Easily among the most beautiful from SIHH 2015.
Fresh from Switzerland and SIHH 2015, one might be tempted to compare the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur to last year’s Christophe Claret Margot. Both are rather florally inclined. Both contain elaborate automaton mechanisms. Both are limited pieces from brands know for pushing the limits of traditional watchmaking, Richard Mille and Christophe Claret.In an incredible act of precision and creativity, activated every five minutes or by depressing a pusher at the nine o’clock position, an automaton function opens and closes 18-karat gold magnolia petals surrounding a flying tourbillon. On opening of the five petals, the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur’s tourbillon even rises ever so slightly… one millimeter, to be precise… into view.
The Caliber RM19-02 self-winding movement has a power reserve of about 36 hours and is made from Grade 5 titanium whose cinereal finish sits in stark contrast to the diamond encrusted titanium tripartite case.
Like I said earlier, the The rm 19-02 replica has a price tag of about $1.3 million. It’s also limited to only 30 pieces. For more info on the Tourbillon Fleur check out the photos, tech specs and press release below. Or, for the same info, just on Richard Mille’s page, visit their Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur here.When it comes to iconic shapes in watches, the Richard Mille tonneau case is certainly one of the more notable. Also notable is the fact that watch models aimed at women generally have a plethora of jewels plastered all over them, and while I am generally averse to that particular styling trick, I am about to give it a pass, as the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur hides – and reveals – some genuinely fascinating technical feats inside its diamond encrusted case.To begin with, have a look at the magnolia that appears down at the 7 o’clock position: sure, flower motifs are not anything new when it comes to watches. Those five hand-formed and -painted petals at first appear to be obscuring the flying tourbillon, but every five minutes, (or with the press of the pusher at 9 o’clock) the “secret” of the mechanism is revealed.While the tourbillon in itself already is a mechanism that many watch enthusiasts prefer because it provides non-stop “eye candy” – as opposed to more static complications like a date –, this new take on the flying tourbillon takes that a few steps further by setting it in motion in a new and unexpected way.
The magnolia blooms, with its white gold petals opening up. Not only that, the jeweled “stamen,” which the tourbillon is representing, actually shifts up 1mm, mimicking what the actual flower does when it blooms in nature. In other words, with the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur, you get not just a mechanical watch, but also a rather clever automaton.Richard Mille, being who they are, though, are not about to leave things just with a trick like that (impressive as it is). The movement that makes all of this possible is made from grade-5 titanium, with a variety of finishes. You can see part of the movement via the exhibition case back, but this is actually rather uninspired – and arguably not as fancy and colorful as one would expect on a women’s watch – especially when compared to the show you have on the dial side.Finally, it has to be said – this is a watch that will attract attention, due to how encrusted it is with diamonds and precious gems. In some ways, this forces the magnolia compete for attention with the sheer bling of the massive 45mm x 38mm case. I am sure the brand had a very good reason for going this route, but I do wish there was a simpler finish to the case, allowing the automaton mechanism to not have to share any of the spotlight.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to consider the fact that Richard Mille quite possibly could have gotten away with the same “fleur” design without animating it and just using it as decoration, they did go the extra mile and made the effort to engineer a movement that allowed for such an interesting and unique complication.