Greymons Lieblings-Serien » Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Time Watch

The Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Time Watch: A New Chapter in Travel Time



The world time watch with a bezel returns in pink.

World time watches are known for their imperfections, often out of sync with daylight saving time and partial-hour time zone offsets. However, their enduring appeal stems from their sophisticated mechanical design and their allure of luxury. The Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Time excels in both respects, featuring a planetary differential mechanism that allows the wearer to adjust time zones simply by rotating the bezel.

The RM 63-02, a limited edition watch, exudes a regal presence with its 47mm case crafted from 18K rose gold and titanium in bold pink and burgundy colors. While not suitable for all wrists and budgets, it is surprisingly comfortable and accessible.

From a strictly practical perspective, the standard format of world time watches is inherently flawed, as approximately half of the world's countries observe daylight saving time for roughly half the year, while one-fifth of the global population lives in time zones with fractional-hour offsets. Despite these flaws, they capture a certain luxurious romance and are often beautifully or ingeniously designed. Richard Mille's world time watches fall into the latter category, or perhaps even the former, depending on your preference.

The RM 63-02's operation and concept are elegant, but its implementation is quite complex. Local time can be adjusted simply by rotating the bezel. This function is reminiscent of IWC's World Time watch, itself based on a patent acquired from Vogard. Richard Mille's design draws on the advantages of that design while eliminating the cumbersome auxiliary buttons and levers required by other watches with bezel-adjustable world time functions.

The CRMA4 movement, a patented Richard Mille movement, appears compact within its hefty case, but is actually quite large at nearly 34 mm in diameter. The bridges and plate are made of Titalyt-coated titanium, while the oscillating weight is in rose gold. It boasts a solid foundation for chronometric precision, including a free-sprung balance with medium inertia, a powerful 4Hz frequency, and a fast-rotating barrel (a design also employed by Greubel Forsey) to reduce mainspring seizure.

Richard Mille isn't known for its value, but the RM 63-02 is more reasonably priced than expected. When it comes to oversized, high-tech watches, Richard Mille is a rare breed, and it has a strong enough fan base to ensure a market that can absorb them.

A New Evolution in World Timers
The 47mm case diameter is large even by Richard Mille standards, but at just under 14mm thick, it's not excessively thick for the brand. The middle case is made of titanium, while the bezel, case back, lugs, crown, and pushers are crafted from 18K rose gold. Like most Richard Mille watches, the caseback is curved, perfectly fitting the wrist. While it's not exactly small, the fact that a 47mm watch is wearable is itself an achievement.

The case comprises over 100 parts, but as the movement rotates within, the line between case and movement blurs. A planetary differential connects the hour and minute hands, as well as the 24-hour scale, to the rotating bezel, which is engraved with the names of 24 cities. The city displayed at 12 o'clock indicates the time indicated by the hands, and rotating the bezel counterclockwise easily advances the local time step by step.

Changing time zones also adjusts the semi-instantaneous double-disc date display at 12 o'clock, which can also be independently adjusted using the pusher at 10 o'clock. While the rotating bezel might seem like a significant weakness in terms of water resistance, Richard Mille claims to have thoroughly tested it—albeit at a depth of only 30 meters. This is likely due to a built-in locking mechanism that locks the bezel by simply rotating it clockwise.

The time can be set without pulling the crown. The pusher below, like a car's gearshift, cycles between "N" (neutral), "W" (winding), and "H" (winding) modes, as well as setting the crown mode. Unfortunately, manually setting the mode interferes with the movement, so you can't switch from winding mode to "N" (neutral) without stopping the second hand and disturbing the time. The crown also features a soft-touch red TPE ring for ease of operation.

The sapphire crystal dial is highly legible, at least by Richard Mille standards, revealing the skeletonized dial beneath. The Dauphine hands are a highlight, with their clean, bold lines, straight-grained tops and diamond-cut bevels, similar to those on Grand Seiko hands. Both hands are coated with pink SuperLuminova, complementing the world time flange.

The transparent dial reveals the movement's intricate construction, making its architectural design a central feature of the design. The distinctively styled bridges are beautifully shaped, paired with clean, industrial-style finishing and crystal-clear sapphires, embodying a contemporary aesthetic. Richard Mille, as a brand, has never overemphasized hand-finishing, a fact clearly visible under a loupe. For example, traces of unfinished machinery can be seen behind the function selector indicator. However, in the case of the RM 63-02, these imperfections are minimal; overall, the movement's finishing is in keeping with Richard Mille's philosophy.

Richard Mille RM 63-02 Automatic Woldtimer

Diameter: 47 mm Height: 13.45 mm Material: 18k rose gold and titanium Crystal: Sapphire Water-resistance: 30 meters

Movement: CRMA4 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, function selector, double date disc, world time Winding: Automatic Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) Power reserve: 50 hours

Strap: White elastomer