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Watches

Richard Mille RM 008 & RM 011 LMC Watches For Le Mans Classic

by Ariel Adams | June 24th 2012 | 07:57 pm

Richard Mille RM 011 Le Mans Classic watch, limited to 150 pieces

Le Mans Classic is a vintage car race which will take place in early July this year, serving as one of the corollary races to the famous Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. Watch brand Richard Mille is the official partner and timekeeper of the enthusiast event and has been since its start in 2002. This year, the brand's founder Richard Mille will actually participate in the race as a driver.

Richard Mille as a watch brand was formed on the principle that its very high-end timepieces would share technical similarities with today’s most advanced racing machines. Extremely successful in popularising modern-looking, ultra-high-end sport watches with an industrial twist, it is then only slightly ironic that this modern watchmaker is the sponsor of a vintage-themed event.

Richard Mille RM 008 Le Mans Classic watch, limited to just 2 watches in the set

Not one, but two limited edition Richard Mille watches will signal the start of Le Mans Classic 2012. Both pieces are chronographs, which is the signature complication of a race-themed timepiece.

The models both come in lightweight titanium, tonneau-shaped cases that have a new aesthetic feature in the form of engraved double racing stripes that extend from the top of the case to the bottom on the bezel.

The more exclusive of the two limited edition models is the Richard Mille RM 008 LMC Tourbillon Chronograph, limited to just two watches in the set. The 39.70mm-wide titanium case is done in a micro bead-blasted finish with a centre barrel in DLC coated black and typified with light blue and white accents. Inside the watch is a very complex Richard Mille tourbillon-based manually wound movement with 70 hours of power reserve.

The movement offers an exotic mono-pusher split second chronograph, as well as a power reserve indicator and movement torque indicator. This information is displayed mostly on the movement surface without a traditional dial and uses indicators printed on the rear of a sapphire crystal. On both models, the Le Mans Classic logo is applied as the 12 o’clock hour indicator.

Slightly more mainstream is the second limited edition model. Available as a collection of 150 pieces, the Richard Mille RM 011 LMC is an automatic chronograph watch with a case marginally larger than the RM 008 LMC at 40mm wide. Once again, Richard Mille's skeletonised dials impress, showing the chronograph and big date indicators in their full mechanical glory.

Visit the Richard Mille webpages here