Wearable complexity: Richard Mille sets a new standard in automatic chronography.

Swiss haute horlogerie brand Richard Mille has been redefining high watchmaking with the RM 65-01. Now it’s signalling its commitment to the Australian market, with the opening of its first Sydney boutique.

In high watchmaking, complexity can be an end in itself – the more difficult the mechanism, the more esteemed the timepiece. Richard Mille has never adhered to this philosophy. For this Swiss haute horlogerie brand, ambition must equal performance, and nowhere is this more clearly expressed than in the RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph. 

The culmination of five years of meticulous development, the RM 65-01 is one of the most complex automatic chronographs ever produced. Neither fanciful nor ceremonial, it instantiates the brand’s ability to engineer extreme mechanical complexity without sacrificing ergonomics, legibility or reliability. 

Joining Richard Mille’s automatic collections, the watch’s importance lies not only in what it achieves, but in what it represents. The brand’s success is rooted in disciplined production and long-term technical ambition: each collection is designed for endurance rather than novelty, and the RM 65-01 exemplifies this approach. 

The phenomenal timepiece reflects the brand’s confidence in its engineering and its insistence on treating innovation as canon rather than spectacle. This strategy allows Richard Mille to innovate without overextending, ensuring that complexity remains purposeful, dependable and serviceable over time. 

Intensive purpose

At the heart of the ultra-modern RM 65-01 lies an in-house automatic split-seconds chronograph movement. Featuring over 600 components, the calibre operates at 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour), enabling exceptional chronometric stability and stopwatch precision to one-tenth of a second. Developed for superior timekeeping accuracy, it introduces Richard Mille’s first split-second hand on an automatic movement. 

Its integrated rattrapante mechanism enables the measurement of intermediate times while maintaining consistent torque, owing to a fast-rotating barrel and a 60-hour power reserve. The variable-geometry rotor adapts to the wearer’s activity level, optimising winding efficiency during both activity and rest. 

Subjected to extensive shock, ageing, magnetic and waterproof testing to ensure durability under any circumstances, the RM 65-01 is unyielding mechanical supremacy made functional. 

The RM 65-01 represents a new breed of elite race-ready watches. Activated by a pusher at eight o’clock, Richard Mille’s first in-house patented rapid-winding mechanism allows full winding of the barrel in just 125 presses – a “playful” yet formidable solution to a real-world need. 

A crown-based function selector replaces traditional winding positions, a simple press allowing seamless switching between winding, date adjustment and time setting, while the dial is colour-coded to ensure instant clarity: orange for chronograph functions, blue for the split-seconds hand, red for winding, and green for the date. 

At Richard Mille, functionality always drives aesthetics – every detail serves a purpose; nothing is ornamental. 

Now you see it

Richard Mille understands implicitly that technical innovation must be seen to be believed. The open-worked architecture of the RM 65-01 exposes the movement’s layered construction, titanium bridges and six-column wheel system, presenting its mechanical landscape and choreography in all its complexity and beauty. 

Transparency is not simply a decorative choice, but a proof point, evidence of engineering rigour. Every surface, material and structure reinforce the brand’s three core principles: innovation, performance and design. In the RM 65-01, complexity is coherent, a rare achievement at this level of watchmaking. 

Carbon TPT® bezel, caseband and caseback reinforce the brand’s dedication to elegant execution. It boasts a polished and satin-finished grade 5 titanium crown, chronograph buttons and plate, and a rapid-winding pusher with a striking red Quartz TPT® button. 

The RM 65-01 demonstrates how extreme mechanical function need not come at the expense of form. Available in Carbon TPT®, Gold, Carbon TPT®, and titanium, the RM 65-01 is at once a complex sports timepiece, a technical masterpiece, and a wearable expression of high-end aesthetics. Through disciplined production and human-centred design, Richard Mille is redefining not only high-complication automatic chronography, but technicity at large. 

Here to stay

The recent opening of Richard Mille’s first Australian boutique marks the brand’s 42nd retail space worldwide. Located within the ultra-luxury Capella Sydney, just a block from Circular Quay in the new Lands by Capella precinct, the boutique sits pretty at the city’s financial, cultural and historical pulse. 

“This is an important step for Richard Mille,” says Dave Tan, CEO of Richard Mille Asia. “Recognising the great potential in Australia, we decided to make a long-term commitment to this growing market by creating a dedicated space for brand enthusiasts.” 

This is more than a space; it is an immersive convergence of horology, hospitality and wellbeing. Designed to encourage discovery and connection, the boutique features interconnected areas that echo the Australian lifestyle and culture. A nature-inspired meditation room offers visitors a tranquil escape from Sydney’s bustle, while a sports bar represents the spirit of traditional pubs. 

“Our ambition for each boutique goes well beyond creating a point of sale,” says Commercial Director Alexandre Mille. “We aim to create a genuine experience for the brand.” 

A watchmaker’s section at the boutique’s architectural nexus celebrates the art of horology and educates visitors about Richard Mille’s technical mastery. The brand’s signature ‘broken glass’ fins replace walls, defining zones while maintaining visual connectivity, and allowing for fluidity without sacrificing intimacy. 

While Australian influences such as native flora and materials, yacht-like curves and flooring, and Federation architecture anchor the interiors locally, it remains unmistakably Swiss in style and spirit. 

“This fascinating country, with its wholehearted embrace of technology, art and sport, stands out for its independence and avant-garde attitude, an ethos that resonates with our values,” says Mille. 

Standing strong

Richard Mille’s new Sydney boutique is a declaration of care and commitment to its growing Australian clientele. Like the RM 65-01, it embodies everything the brand stands for: practical innovation, elite performance, and elegant craftsmanship that more than stands the test of time. 

For  more information visit richardmille.com 

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