STYLE Edit: Pharrell Williams’ limited-edition Richard Mille watch was inspired by Mars, Earth and space travel
A hard core Richard Mille fan, Pharrell Williams has drawn on his lifelong fascination with space travel for the newly released RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams.
The extraordinary design of this watch portrays a view of the Earth as reflected in the helmet visor of an astronaut on the surface of planet Mars. “In every aspect of my work, I always look for something different, something new. Working with Richard Mille provided an opportunity to go where no one else has ever gone before. Mars, for instance. Creating is about shifting the perspective from which we look at things, that is really the only difference, and with the RM 52-05, we’ve looked at Mars from a different angle, an unexpected first-person point of view,” says Williams.
STYLE Edit: Why high-flyers will love Richard Mille’s RM 62-01
STYLE Edit: Why Richard Mille’s vibrating watch flies high
Limited to just 30 pieces, the RM 52-05 uses some of the most groundbreaking techniques from Richard Mille. The main movement plate and bridges are made from grade 5 titanium and decorated with slabs of finished aventurine, giving the appearance of a field of stars on the deep blue backdrop of space. The helmet’s visor is crafted out of a single piece of red gold, hand-painted and engraved for more than 15 hours. This rigorous technique is followed by an intensive 24-hour session of grand-feu enamelling and hand-painting. Unlike the traditional grand feu enamel obtained by adding different pigments, the orange to red and blue to black gradients were made by superimposing layers and increasing the number of firings. To compliment the theme, the watch has been fitted with space-inspired ladder hands.
STYLE Edit: Richard Mille’s RM 020 tourbillon reinterprets the classic pocket watch
The RM 52-05 is not just a piece of art in terms of its intricate design but also a technical marvel. Equipped with Calibre RM 52-05, it includes a free-sprung balance with variable inertia, a faster rotating barrel for increased accuracy, pinion and winding barrel teeth with a central involute profile and a 42-hour power reserve.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZqWtqKq%2FunvAq6uim5yafHR8k2pvbWxfqMG6uMRmnJ2hpGK9qa3Rq5ylpF2stq24yJqkrGWcnrqqwMSdZJ6cmam2sLqMq6CcoJGnsW65yKWjng%3D%3D