Launched just a few weeks ago, the RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago is modelled on the Colnago C68, the same road bike used by Tadej Pogacar, the current Tour de France champion who has long worn a Richard Mille while racing. Though new, the RM 64-01 is still quintessential Richard Mille in form, substance, and price.

The watch is large, lightweight, and exceptionally, satisfyingly ergonomic. As is tradition, the RM64-01 movement is the work of Audemars Piguet Le Locle, formerly known as Renaud Papi. The case material is made by longtime partner NTPT, a Swiss carbon composites specialist. And in the great tradition of Richard Mille, the RM 64-01 is very expensive.

The RM 64-01 is the typical large format tonneau-shaped case shared with most current Richard Mille models. At about 43 mm wide, almost 50 mm long, and over 14 mm tall, the case is big, but sits perfectly on the wrist thanks to its curvature and lightness. And while thick, integrated rubber straps normally detract from wearability, the strap adds to the ergonomics of the RM 64-01.

The watch is almost entirely in bright white, with accents of bright blue and rose gold — it makes a statement, even from a distance, as most Richard Mille watches do. But zoom in past the over-the-top aesthetics and the movement reveals fine detailing.

The blue and white bridges are all titanium, but painted by hand to mimic the Colnago C68 bike frame. The traditional matchmaking, however, is visible below the bridges in the moving parts of the skeleton movement. Wheels have chamfered spokes, pins have polished heads, and even the underside of the tourbillon cage is concentrically brushed. This is top quality industrial-haute horlogerie, and quite reminiscent of Audemars Piguet’s skeleton tourbillon movements, which is not surprising since the movements are all made in the same facility.

Although the execution is good, the RM 64-01 is still a cosmetic realisation of the Colnago road bike. The movement builds on the familiar tourbillon calibre that Richard Mille has long relied on, albeit with notably better finishing. Given the lofty price, however, the RM 64-01 should have a functional or technical interpretation of high performance bikes — a chain and fusee for instance.

And the price is about CHF800,000. It shouldn’t cost (nearly) that much by the conventional benchmarks of watchmaking — even luxury watchmaking. By those standards the RM 64-01 is outlandishly expensive.

But Richard Mille should arguably be judged by other standards. The true Richard Mille client, and not merely someone buying a watch for performative social media, is merely one in a handful while also being preposterously wealthy. Eight-hundred thousand Swiss francs is a lot of money for most, but for some lucky individuals, the sum is the equivalent of buying a Rolex Submariner. And for those lucky few, there really isn’t anything else like a Richard Mille when it comes to a sports watch.

The RM 64-01 borrows from past Richard Mille models in terms of case design. The tonneau-shaped case has a notched outline that emphasises the screws that hold the bezel and back together like a sandwich. And like recent Richard Mille models, the RM 64-01 is a large watch. For anyone who hasn’t worn a Richard Mille, the ergonomics of the case will be surprising given the size, but it is comfortable.

The case is in Quartz TPT composite, but the inner flanges on the front and back are 18k red gold, as is the medallion that tops the crown. The composite is mostly bright white, but with azure blue inserts on the front and back to echo the C68 bike.

Quartz TPT, short for “Thin Ply Technology”, is essentially a carbon-fibre-reinforced composite with quartz fibres added to improve its mechanical properties.

The material gets its name from North Thin Ply Technologies (NTPT), a Swiss maker of high-tech carbon composites widely used in competitive sailing and Formula 1. Now a supplier to Richard Mille for well over a decade, NTPT is almost synonymous with Richard Mille watch cases.

Admittedly, the high-tech nature of the case material and its unique physical properties actually have little practical upside in a watch case, which is a static component that only needs to be rigid and robust enough to stay sealed over the long term – but it does look cool and feels good. And for a watch like this, it’s enough.

The calibre RM64-01 is a new movement developed for this watch. Though it borrows from past calibres — it’s basically the same 19-jewel tourbillon calibre that powered the RM 27-04, made for another sporting great — it has clearly been constructed to fit the RM 64-01, and features a larger mainspring barrel that nearly doubles the power reserve.

Instead of the usual vertical layout used in most Richard Mille tourbillon movements, the RM64-01 is laid out diagonally from one to seven o’clock. The open barrel sits at one o’clock and the tourbillon at seven, with the going train and keyless works in between. This gives the movement a striking appearance, with wide open spaces that emphasise the bicycle frame inspiration.

Richard Mille takes its usual approach to the movement, which is largely titanium. The blue and white bicycle “frame” is actually composed of multiple sections pieced together to form a bridge across the movement, front and back. The pieces are sandblasted titanium that’s first painted white, then blue and rose gold. Under the blue-and-white bridges is the open-worked base plate of the movement that is also titanium, but coated black.

The openness of the movement reveals almost everything, and fortunately it lives up to scrutiny. In Richard Mille’s early days movement finishing was not its forte, and simply not the point, but now the brand has clearly raised its game in terms of watchmaking, with both in-house movements and superior finishing. By extension, the quality of decoration reflects the advancements made by Audemars Piguet, which has industrialised its manufacturing footprint in recent years.

The RM64-01 is not in-house but it is a credible calibre made by respected name. The finishing is industrial-haute horlogerie standard, which is par for the course in high-end watchmaking done at scale. With an annual production in the range of 5,000 pieces, Richard Mille is an independent brand of substantial scale, with the closest being F.P. Journe at the high end of the market, though the latter makes just 1,000 or so watches a year.

The movement has a neat, careful finish with even the smallest parts chamfered, brushed, or polished, as would be expected at this level. The decoration is no doubt done with the aid of mechanical tools, as is typical of this segment.

Richard Mille RM 64-01 Colnago

Case diameter: 43.21 mm by 49.94 mm
Height: 14.23 mm
Material: White Quartz TPT carbon composite
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: RM64-01
Functions: Hours, minutes and tourbillon regulator
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 65 hours

Strap: Rubber with folding clasp

Limited edition: 50 pieces
Availability: Only at Richard Mille boutiques
Price: €800,000 before taxes

For more, visit Richardmille.com.

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