Richard Mille unveils a new RM 65-01 to go alongside McLaren’s latest W1 hypercar
Borna Bošnjak- The latest iteration of the RM 65-01 is inspired by Richard Mille’s ongoing partnership with McLaren.
- Its muse is the latest Ultimate Series member and spiritual successor to the iconic F1 and P1 – the McLaren W1.
- The RM 65-01 is the brand’s most complicated automatic watch, featuring a split-seconds chronograph among a host of other features, with this 500-piece run having pricing on request.
There are some watch and motorsport partnerships that just make perfect sense, and McLaren and Richard Mille is one of those. They’re both focused on products at the bleeding edge of technological advancement, but are also not everyone’s cup of tea given their avant-garde design (and similarities between the models). The RM 65-01 is the next in line for this collaboration, based on Richard Mille’s split-seconds chronograph automatic originally introduced in 2020, and is yet another example of the brand’s deep connections with motorsport.
Very few Richard Mille models depart from the signature tonneau case, and the RM 65-01 continues this trend with a Carbon TPT and grade 5 titanium number measuring in at 43.84mm across and 16.19mm in thickness. These dimensions aren’t unusual for a Richard Mille, as its watches are hardly ever unnoticeable, and while the mostly monochromatic colour scheme of the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is a tad more subtle than RM’s Quartz TPT models, the orange and blue highlights still pop.
These match McLaren’s current Formula 1 racing livery, seeing as Richard Mille is one of the sponsors of the British brand’s racing outfit, and I wonder whether we’ll see it on the wrists of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Singapore in a couple of week’s time. This view also shows off a feature that Richard Mille is especially proud of – that being the double bezel combining Carbon TPT and grade 5 titanium. Julien Boillat, Richard Mille’s Casing Technical Director, explains: “We created eight prototypes, continually refining the best method to machine it. Ultimately, we discovered that the only way to achieve the desired result was by machining it from underneath. This design incorporates the brand’s thinnest titanium bezel to date, measuring just 0.50 mm at its thinnest point.”
To go along with what looks to be the most extreme road-going McLaren to date, Richard Mille selected the RM 65-01 as a base given its use of a high-beat, split-seconds chronograph movement. Introduced in 2020, the RMAC4 was the brand’s first automatic rattrapante chrono, and features the expected smattering of futuristic-looking, skeletonised finishing we’ve come to expect from an RM. The movement itself is a Vaucher development, and its dual column wheel and vertical clutch construction is actually related to Parmigiani Fleurier’s PF361 – a variant of which resides in the new Toric Rattrapante, for example. Given it’s powering a Richard Mille, however, the RMAC4 has undergone modification, for example fitting it with RM’s crown function selector (an integrated pusher allowing the user to select between winding, date, and hand-setting). The 8 o’clock pusher is perhaps a little redundant and can also be used for “rapid winding”, needing to be depressed a hundred-or-so times to fully wind the mainspring.
The 5Hz beat rate makes sense given its vehicular inspiration, as it’s actually able to measure smaller time increments when compared to slower-beating calibres, while the variable geometry rotor adapts to the activity levels of the wearer to optimise winding. Total power reserve is 60 hours, though not accounting for any running of the chronograph which is sure to sap power more quickly.
Briefly on the McLaren W1
To sum up – 1,257 horsepower from a twin-turbo V8 revving up to 9,200rpm, 1,400 kilos, and a top speed limited to 350km/h. While those numbers are downright impressive, they’re not going to be world-beating in a game of Top Trumps. But it’s faster than the slinky Speedtail to 300km/h, reaching that neck-breaking speed in just 12.7 seconds. Where it gets really scary is when you read that the W1 is 3 whole seconds faster around the brand’s test track than the McLaren Senna. It’s capable of such a feat thanks to the dark arts of aerodynamics, and namely the downforce it generates with its ground effect design and the extendable rear wing that makes this a pseudo-long tail model. I wonder whether we’re going to see a track-only, GTR variant of the W1 at some point…
And if the papaya press pics don’t impress you, worry not. McLaren’s MSO department will be happy to build you one of the 399 customer cars to look like whatever your heart desires, and also add the extra charge on top of the £2 million starting price. Actually, you won’t even have to worry about that, as all of the cars have been spoken for. Availability issues seem to affect more than just watches, hey?
If you spend any time reading T+T, you might assume that there are a few petrolheads on the team – and you’d be right. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 interested us more than your “run-of-the-mill” RM, if such a thing even exists. The shapely lines of the car’s tapering midsection actually inspired the complicated bezel of the new RM, and the wheel spoke shape subtly features in the relief of the case pushers. The McLaren W1 may not have the uber-cool mechanical (watch) gauges of the Bugatti Tourbillon, but if nothing else, an update to our best driving watches Buying Guide is certainly in order…
Richard Mille RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren W1 pricing and availability
The Richard Mille RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is a limited edition of 500 pieces. Price is expectedly on application, but for reference, previous models of the RM 65-01 retailed in the US$400,000 range. Price: on request
| Brand | Richard Mille |
| Model | Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren W1 |
| Reference | RM 65-01 |
| Case Dimensions | 43.84mm (W) x 16.19mm (T) x 49.94mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Carbon TPT and grade 5 titanium |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Curved sapphire front, sapphire back |
| Dial | Grade 5 titanium, open |
| Strap | Black or McLaren orange rubber |
| Movement | RMAC4, Vaucher based on Parmigiani PF361, automatic, 5Hz |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, rattrapante chronograph, function selector, rapid winding, variable geometry rotor |
| Availability | 500 pieces |
| Price | POA |