Richard Mille RM 007

The creatively designed Richard Mille RM007 is an automatic timepiece with hours, minutes, and date functions. It is powered by a technically complex movement featuring a uniquely designed bidirectional rotor system, among other functions. The innovative female watch is an amalgamation of super beauty, ergonomics, and technical excellence, which the Richard Mille brand has always been known for.

About the Richard Mille RM 007

The watch was released in 2005, just four years after the Richard Mille brand was launched. At the time, it was the watchmaker’s second automatic timepiece in a collection that mostly consisted of manual winding tourbillon movements.

Richard Mille’s first automatic timepiece, the RM 005, was released a year earlier (in 2004). Shortly after, Richard Mille began working on another automatic timepiece built specifically for women.

Although a relatively young watch brand at the time, the absence of a line of watches built specifically for women was so inconceivable that the watchmaker started working on one right away.

Richard Mille was quite intentional about its ladies' watch. It came in smaller dimensions, and the timepiece also featured several innovative features. For instance, it had a bi-directionally winding automatic movement with an 18k gold rotor segment, which was an exclusive innovation at the time.

The RM007 was designed with a slim, elongated shape, giving it an obvious feminine appearance. This timepiece's design is a perfect combination of hyper-technicality and feminine charm, which is why it remains one of Richard Mille’s most iconic watches to date. Richard Mille has also used the design of this watch as an inspiration for many other feminine watches, including the current line of RM 07 timepieces.

Features

The RM 007 ladies' watch is a line of intentionally designed feminine watches rather than a watered-down version of the RM series of men’s watches. It is just as technically impressive but was created with much more bling than the male watches. At the same time, the timepiece retains the essential codes of the Richard Mille collection of timepieces, including its distinctive shape, elegant open design, and a plethora of technical features.

Case Design

The Richard Mille RM 007 model retains the highly distinguishable Richard Mille tonneau shape. Unlike many other watch brands, which simply add diamonds and more color to their existing men’s watches to create the feminine version, this timepiece was designed from scratch and sized to better fit women's smaller wrists.

The RM007 Richard Mille watch has a 45mm by 31mm dimensions. Comparatively, the RM005 released a year earlier measured roughly 37.80mm x 45mm. This means the ladies' watch had a slimmer profile, longer than the male automatic watch, but not as wide. While a 45mm case length might seem like a lot, the curved design of this timepiece and the absence of lugs ensured that it was smaller than its actual dimensions on paper.

The upper surface of this timepiece curves slightly, angling downward towards the edges. This design ensures that the RM 007 contours neatly to the wearer’s wrist without overwhelming it despite its bulky build. Overall, the RM 007’s design showcases the watchmaker’s attention to detail and the brand’s deep-seated respect for the unique needs of its feminine wearers.

Dial

The dial has always been one of the most impressive features of any Richard Mille watch because it gives the timepiece its signature high-tech, mechanical appearance. The RM 007 features a double-side anti-glare treated sapphire crystal designed to give the dial visual depth and provide a clear glimpse into the inner workings of the multi-layered discs and other components that make the timepiece work. It also has a small circular pinhole close to the 7 o’clock position through which you can see the gears moving like a mechanical beating heart.

While the mechanics make the dial look busy, the dial features are quite straightforward since the timepiece only has time and date functions. The hour markers, Arabic numerals, and date display window appear as if they are floating on the top plate of the dial. The vertical date window is an aperture located at the 6 o'clock position.

While some variants of this timepiece have a plain dial, some models come with exquisitely set precious stones on the dial. This gives them an even more feminine aesthetic, and their glistening appearance helps attract and hold attention.

The Caliber RM 007

The Richard Mille RM 007 ladies' watch is powered by a robust Caliber RM 007 movement, made to specifications by renowned Swiss movement manufacturer Soprod SA. TheRM 007 automatic watchwas the watchmaker’s second self-winding movement after the RM 005 movement released a year earlier.

The movement featured a patented bi-directional automatic winding system used for the first time in this model. The 24-jewel movement featured an 18-carat red gold rotor sandblasted to perfection and vertically brushed to exact detail.

This distinctive rotor is one of the most impressive attributes of the RM 007 movement. The rotor has a transparent crystal capsule with 100 free-moving golden micro-beads to balance its weight. The fact that this rotor is visible through the caseback provides a mesmerizing view to any observer.

Durable build

The tripartite case of this watch (front bezel, case, and back bezel) is designed to fit perfectly together with exact precision. A close inspection shows how flawlessly these components fit together without gaps or contact points.

The timepiece is built internally as well. The bottom plate and bridges of movement are made from PVD-coated titanium. While this adds some depth to the thin movement, it also helps to boost its durability. The movement is secured to a chassis mounting made from carbon fiber using four small spline screws.

Another set of four large spline screws secures the chassis mounting to the case, ensuring the stability of the movement even when the wearer moves around. These screws hold the tripartite case together. They’re further reinforced by three Nitrile O-ring seals with tubes driven in and glued. All of these contribute to the water-resistance of this timepiece to a depth of 50 meters.

RM 007 Variations

Over the past two decades, Richard Mille has released several variations of the RM 007. While the base case material for these models has been luxurious gold (rose gold and white gold), the watchmaker has released many variants with different numeral styles, dial colors and precious stone settings.

One of the most popular dial options has a colored field shaped like an elongated barrel that follows the shape of the case. The barrel is available in different color options, and some pieces have this barrel set with diamonds or colored precious stones, which gives them an attractive feminine appearance.

One version even has its white gold case's entire top and center lined with 606 expertly-arranged diamonds. This example also has a full diamond pavé center, with large diamond hour markers to complete the stunning appearance. Other visually impressive models include an emerald and white diamond version with a delicate swirling design and a diamond-studded red gold version.

Richard Mille RM 007 Price

The classic RM 007 is a rare timepiece no longer in active production. However, Richard Mille has a new line of women's watches named RM 07. As a result, it can be hard to find a classic Richard Mille RM 007 for sale.

Pricing for this model varies widely for the different versions. On average, you can expect to spend about $200,000 on a diamond-paved 18K White Gold RM007, one of this timepiece's most expensive versions. Other less-flamboyant variants, like the plain rose gold version with no gemstones, cost around $132,306.

Conclusion

The RM 007 is a meticulously executed ladies' timepiece. A perfect marriage of beauty, ergonomics, and technical excellence, this automatic wristwatch is a work of art highly sought-after by collectors and Richard Mille enthusiasts. This quality timepiece exhibits the highest aesthetic appeal and reliable performance with or without the exquisitely set of precious and semi-precious stones. Browse more models in our Richard Mille watch collection.