Description

The present watch is the Richard Mille RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph, reference RM11-03 CA, a timepiece that stands as the definitive evolution of the brand’s most iconic silhouette. Introduced as the successor to the legendary RM 011, the RM 11-03 represents a wholesale refinement of Richard Mille’s “racing machine on the wrist” philosophy, featuring a more aggressive, automotive-inspired case architecture and a next-generation movement that pushes the boundaries of skeletonized engineering.

The 44.5 mm case is crafted from Carbon TPT® (Thin Ply Technology), an aerospace-grade composite that has become a hallmark of the Maison. Created by layering hundreds of sheets of carbon filaments at varying angles before being compressed and heated, the resulting material is not only exceptionally light and virtually indestructible but also possesses a unique, organic wood-grain aesthetic that ensures no two cases are exactly alike. The bezel is secured by Grade 5 titanium spline screws, a signature Richard Mille detail that ensures structural integrity during extreme conditions.

The Skeletonized dial provides a three-dimensional view of the Calibre RMAC3, a self-winding movement that embodies the brand’s technical prowess. The architecture is a masterclass in depth and transparency, featuring an oversized date display beneath 12 o’clock and a small month indicator between 4 and 5 o’clock. As an annual calendar, the movement automatically adjusts for 30 and 31-day months, requiring manual correction only once per year at the end of February.

The watch’s defining complication is the Flyback Chronograph, allowing the wearer to restart the timing function instantly with a single press of the pusher at 4 o’clock—eliminating the need for the traditional stop-reset-start sequence. This function, essential for racing drivers who must time consecutive laps, is powered by a high-performance mechanism that can withstand the significant shocks and vibrations of a motorsport environment.

Further elevating its technical appeal is the variable-geometry rotor, visible through the sapphire caseback. This innovative system allows the winding efficiency of the movement to be adjusted by a watchmaker to match the wearer’s level of physical activity, ensuring that the mainspring is always optimally tensioned whether at a desk or on the track.

The Richard Mille RM 11-03 in Carbon TPT® is a watch of uncompromising performance and presence. It is a trophy of modern horology that combines the world’s most advanced materials with a movement that is as much a piece of kinetic sculpture as it is a high-precision chronometric instrument.

Richard Mille – Bio

Richard Mille (born 13 February 1951, in France) started work at Finhor, a local watchmaking company in 1974. The company was bought by Matra in 1981 and Richard Mille rose to manage Matra’s watchmaking business, which then included the brands Yema and Cupillard Rième. Matra’s watchmaking activities were sold to Seiko, who Mille left in 1992 to start a watchmaking business for jewellery firm Mauboussin. In 1999 he founded the company Richard Mille SA in collaboration with Audemars Piguet. Its first product, the RM001 went on sale in 2001