Richard Mille Carbon Kronometry – RM030 AN CA

If Darth Vader had a luxury watch…
The Richard Mille Carbon Kronometry RM030 AN CA has got a kind of futuristic sci-fi look and feel. And it is a bit dark overlord. If you were gunning for world domination, this 50 mm beast should be on your wrist.
This model is very similar to the 1999 limited edition Kronometry. It was launched to celebrate the first anniversary of the partnership of Richard Mille and Kronometry 1999 (a chain of haute horology boutiques). The pairing is a sound one: Richard Mille is famous for his obsession with innovation and exotic design. Kronometry 1999's philosophy is this: “We are not here to sell you a watch but to make you want one.”
And so they have. Celebrity Richard Mille fans include the likes of Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Rafael Nadal, Felipe Massa, Michelle Yeoh and Natalie Portman. Let's not forget King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
The Carbon Kronometry RM030 AN CA ticks all the Richard Mille boxes. Rubber bracelet with folding titanium clasp. Tonneau shape. Carbon case. Bezel inlaid with titanium screws. Sapphire glass with anti-glare treatment on both sides. Luminescent hands and numerals. Display caseback. But there's something different about the RM030. It has a more grown up, serious air. It's more business than party but has a touch of the otherworldly about it. Hence the Darth Vader analogy.
The skeletonised dial looks fascinating rather than trippy, and when the blue lume shines in darker conditions, those hands and indexes literally leap off the dial. Let's take a closer look. You'll immediately notice a power reserve display between 8 and 10 o'clock, and a rewinding indicator at 12 o'clock. This particular model has a power reserve of 55 hours. Cast your eyes down and you'll see a digital date window at 7 o'clock, and second markers. The blue-tipped arrows on all hands are a particularly pleasing touch.
Is that it? I hear you ask. Yes, and no. Here's the thing about Richard Mille watches. They've become so intertwined with the idea of innovative features, it's easy to forget that the models that don't have features such as time-suspending complications are still incredible achievements of design, engineering and technology.
The RM030 is powered by an RMAR1 automatic movement, which features 40 jewels and beats at 4 Hz. Perhaps the most notable feature is the declutchable rotor. This is a big deal because when you're coming up to the 50-hour power reserve mark, the rotor moves from the barrel and then clutches again at 40 hours, at which point it is in winding phase and will stay there until it is completely wound. You can tell whether it's in clutch or is declutched by looking at the aforementioned rewinding indicator at 12.
I could pretend I know exactly how every element of the movement works. I'm not going to do that because I am not a civil engineer or a movement engineer. But the guys Richard Mille works with? They are. So you know the Carbon Kronometry RM030 AN CA is going to be better than just good. It's going to be exceptional in terms of strength and performance. That's what you're paying for. That and the badass design of course.
Image Credit – officialwatches.com vedere di piu copia rolex e Hublot MDM