STYLE Edit: Richard Mille’s RM 020 tourbillon reinterprets the classic pocket watch

There is something wonderfully theatrical about a pocket watch – a secret device that is produced with a flourish to make time available as if by magic. In a Dickensian universe it was a gold half-hunter or somesuch, worn by a portly gentleman of means. In today’s world, however, only a pocket watch of singular flair will do.

Richard Mille has reinterpreted the classic pocket watch in a dramatic and beautiful way with the RM 020 tourbillon, a manual winding movement with hours, minutes and power reserve.

It all starts with the baseplate, which uniquely for a pocket watch is non-metallic. An isotropic composite material created of carbon nanofibres moulded under high temperature and pressure gives extraordinary stability, as evidenced by its original use in US air force jets.

This high degree of integrity under any conditions merits an expanded use of the material across the Richard Mille tourbillon portfolio. It’s all part of a commitment to experimentation with new materials, pushing the boundaries in typical Richard Mille fashion.

The carbon nanofibre has serious aesthetic value. While the face is an absolute wonderland of moving parts, the back has a very restrained elegance – the modular time setting mechanism with its beautifully finished wheels is set against the black of the carbon nanofibre, giving it an architectural simplicity. This position also has the obvious advantage of ease of maintenance, with no dismantling required.

We have learnt to expect the unexpected from Richard Mille. So forget a round case – the is a rectangular watch, 62mm long and 52mm wide. The case band is titanium with front and back bezels in 18ct red gold, white gold or titanium and titanium spline screws to hold the bridges on to the case. The watch chain, too, is titanium with a quick release mechanism. The torque limiting, Cheval-manufactured crown at 12 o’clock activates the function selector through winding, neutral and setting, shown on the dial by a small hand at 4 o’clock. By its very nature it prevents the overwinding that can be so damaging. It’s deceptively simple as the chain, clasp, crown cover and desk stand required 580 separate operations and have 189 component parts.

As well as the function selector gauge, the 10-day power reserve is indicated on the dial by a numeric scale between 9 and 10 o’clock. These are unobtrusive while the white numerals and tipped hours and minutes hands are big and bold. It is looking deep into the face that shows where the magic happens.