Richard Mille Announce Final Ever RM 032, the Automatic Flyback Chronograph Ultimate Edition

Richard Mille is bidding adieu to one of their core models this year with the launch of the final ever RM 032 in the form of the Automatic Flyback Chronograph Ultimate Edition. The RM 032 was first introduced back in 2011, so it’s retirement over a decade later is well deserved, though still sad. It’s Richard Mille’s one and only dedicated diving watch with a circular case, really making it stand out in a sea of tonneau sports watches. Let’s take a look at this final swan song.

In order to live up to the moniker of being the RM 032 Ultimate Edition, Richard Mille have made it a serious tool watch produced using high tech materials. Gone are the fun and frivolous colours of previous editions such as the Les Voiles de Saint Barth. Instead, the 50mm diameter case is black, made from a combination of DLC coated titanium and carbon TPT composite. There’s still some colour on display via the yellow accents on the crown and pushers but it’s purely functional, highlighting the key mechanical components you need to interact with.

The same is true of the dial. The skeletonised bridges are black in order to provide a contrast to the coloured display elements and making them more legible. Very important given how crowded with information this display is. Starting from the periphery and working inwards you have a tachymeter scale, 60-minute scale, 60-seconds scale, 12-hour scale, months indicator between 4 and 5 o’clock, running indicator at 3 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, date below 12 o’clock. And finally, the central hand stack which includes hours, minutes, chronograph minutes and chronograph seconds. The month and date functions are also an annual calendar, meaning they automatically account for months with 30 and 31 days, only needing adjustment at the end of February.

Evidently Richard Mille never got the memo that dive watches are supposed to have clean, legible dials. Still, it hasn’t stopped the series from being a success for more than a decade so evidently, they got something right. For example the diving specs are actually solid with 300m water resistance and a locking crown that prevents accidental adjustment while underwater.

At the same time, it also locks the chronograph pushers so that the chrono doesn’t get started or stopped by the build-up of water pressure. Another diving consideration is that without a regular seconds indicator. It can be tricky to see at a glance if the watch is operating properly in dark conditions, which is what the running indicator at 3 o’clock is for, a simple, lumed rotating disk that shows the movement is functioning.

Powering the RM 032 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Ultimate Edition is the calibre RMAC2. It’s an automatic movement with a 55-hour power reserve and operating at a 4 Hz frequency. The combination of a complex movement like this with a tool watch works well. Yes, the case is massive and the design doesn’t adhere to traditional notions of dive watches, but those aspects are what makes it feel like a Richard Mille. It shows that when RM tackle a specific concept, they can execute on it really well. I think that’s what I will miss most when the RM 032 eventually disappears from their current range – the remaining watches will feel less specialised and more homogenous.

If you want to pick up the RM 032 Ultimate Edition, good luck. It’s a limited edition of 80 pieces and is price on request. The majority of RM 032s retail in the region of £80,000 – £250,000.

More details at Richard Mille.

​Oracle Time 

Read More