zelin0802 / October 18, 2022

The new RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon has us smiling.

Richard Mille definitely knows how to make a splash — and how to piss off purists. As if to symbolically represent its blissful status as a lucrative watchmaker, and to gently lure any furious haters about it, the latest RM is a joyous collaboration with licensing firm Smiley. It comes just in time for the 50th anniversary of the world’s most famous hieroglyph.

As early as 1963, a man named Harvey Ball designed this famous yellow smiley face. Founded by Franklin Loufrani, Smiley was licensed in 1972 and now owns the rights to the little guy in over 100 countries. Smiley has licensed deals and collaborations with Dior, Fendi, Reebok, Champion and countless others including now Richard Mille. A “50th anniversary celebration” of licensing agreements is a bit of a stretch, but let’s just go with the flow for now.

The gold smiley face is sure to steal the show on this watch, but there’s a lot of crazy stuff going on here and I’m not quite sure where to start. The new in-house automatic movement CRMT7, which took three years to develop, is mostly kept out of sight, or rather hidden behind small fluffy clouds. Unlike most skeletonized watches, the movement is not the main visual feature, so RM designed a new skeletonized movement that leaves plenty of room for all the tiny gold carvings allegedly made by engraver Olivier Kuhn, although I am sure they are made by the borrower. replica men watches

We have the sun. a cactus. An umbrella. a pineapple. One rainbow—actually, two rainbows. This can happen if you randomly mash up the emojis in the keyboard and then press them into the case.

This RM is 3D. It’s kind of like a very expensive grown up Polly pocket. Each “sculpture” is done by hand. Microsprayed pineapples have tiny green PVD ​​coated leaves. The cactus spines have been hand polished to remove the PVD coating. Locate a flamingo’s eye with the world’s smallest beading tool.

The figurines are placed on the base plate and secured using various types of attachments. They’re placed at an angle so that the person who owns the thing can see as much of the surface area as possible — and ensures that each component remains truly three-dimensional. The smiling face itself is mounted on a decorative rainbow-lacquered bridge, giving the impression that it floats above the movement like a benevolent celestial body smiling at the watchmaker’s work.

There is a small seconds hand with the sun on one end and the lightning bolt on the other, making one revolution around the cloud every minute, a function indicator at 3 o’clock showing the winding (W) and setting (H) position when the hands are pulled out of the crown . The power reserve is about 50 hours. Richard Mille copy

If we turn to the caseback, we can see a lightning bolt-shaped rear axle made of grade 5 titanium and a sun-shaped oscillating weight in 3N gold. All of this is housed inside an ATZ (aluminum toughened zirconia) white ceramic and red gold case. The Velcro fastening strap is a yellow woven fabric in the original Smiley Yellow.

“Sorry, I think my heart stopped” – the real words that came out of my mouth when the RM88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley was released a few weeks ago. Dramatic I know, but this is basically my dream watch. Colorful trinkets and golden smiley faces on the white ceramic case and yellow strap, the tourbillon is hidden behind the clouds. Am I dreaming? What acid clock hippie came up with this?

I love smiley faces. It’s played such a huge role in pop culture over the past five years, from the original “Have A Nice Day” slogan to LSD and Hacienda rave culture. Numerous changes have also gained cult status: Nirvana’s curved mouth and cross-eyed smiley face, Justin Bieber’s now Drew House logo, apparel from brands like Kapital and Market, and our much-loved iPhone emoji.

This iconic symbol has always been part of the zeitgeist. It’s never cool. Richard Mille made it even cooler.

I wish this watch was cheaper than a Miami house? certainly. Richard Mille watches are so youthful and playful that their extremely adult prices often seem like a hoax. Some of us would like to see a lower-priced spin-off, like Rolex from Tudor to RM, a secondary line if you will. Perhaps this is the key to making this imaginable adult fantasy world possible.

But as with many watches, the price is largely theoretical. As a wise man once said, ultra-expensive timepieces are seen as objects to be admired rather than owned.

Basic knowledge
Brand: Richard Mille
Model: Automatic Tourbillon Smiley
Reference number: RM88

Diameter: 48.15mm x 39.74mm
Thickness: 13.30 mm
Case Material: ATZ Ceramic and Red Gold
Dial Color: Skull
Lumens: yes
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Yellow Textile

sports
Movement: CRMT7
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds and function indicators.
Diameter: 32.10mm x 29.00mm
Thickness: 5.70 mm
Power reserve: about 50 hours (± 10%) on
Chain: self-winding
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Number of gems: 23