Richard Mille RM 11-01

Richard Mille RM 11-01 History

The RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini is an elegant sports watch released by Richard Mille in 2013 in collaboration with Italian soccer manager Roberto Mancini.  The former player and iconic manager with an impressive list of titles has been described as a true gentleman of soccer by Richard Mille.

The Richard Mille RM 11 01 is a variation of the RM 011, the Automatic Flyback Chronograph released in 2007 in collaboration with F1 legend Felipe Massa, designed specifically for the motorsports world. The timepiece kickstarted the watchmaker’s long and active collaboration with a line of notable motorsport brand ambassadors over the years.

The RM 11-01 was released about half a decade after the original RM 11 hit the market and built on its success. Only this time, it was targeted at an entirely different audience. Richard Mille watches have always been about defining a customer rather than just creating a timepiece. While the original RM 011 was developed with the help of Ferrari Driver Felipe Massa for the ideal Formula 1 fan, Richard Mille looked to the footballing world with the first upgrade of this timepiece.

To create this important sports watch model, Richard Mille chose to collaborate with Roberto Mancini. This former player and soccer manager has a flamboyant personality that aligns with the Richard Mille brand. Like the Richard Mille brand, the unrivaled tactician is refined, technically brilliant, and creative, with an elegance that shines both on and off the pitch.

The Richard Mille RM 11 01 was designed especially for Roberto Mancini and soccer lovers like him. Like its predecessor, this timepiece is powered by the RMAC1 caliber, with a flyback chronograph that accurately times sports events. It also has an annual calendar with an oversized date display.

While both watches are practically identical in function, each has been adapted to the specific sport it has been created for. In 2019, Richard Mille launched another timepiece in honor of Roberto Mancini. The watch featured an updated movement and a few extra features and was called the RM 11-04 Roberto Mancini.

Features

RM 11-01 is an automatic Flyback Chronograph timepiece. It’s the perfect watch for soccer fans or coaches like Roberto Mancini, with features for timing soccer matches and an ergonomic design that makes it comfortable for everyday wear. This watch also has an elegant design and an innovative use of material that allows it to embody everything the Richard Mille brand stands for.

Flyback Chronograph

Just like the original RM 011 was designed for timing motorsports events, the RM11-01 was built for timing soccer matches. The most important feature of this timepiece is its flyback chronograph function, which is optimized for the timing of soccer matches. This watch can track each half of a soccer match, with a 45-minute interval, plus 15 minutes of extra time and stoppage time.

The extra time feature is particularly useful for soccer managers, trainers, and fans since the time is not displayed on the stadium’s big board like the regular time. This variation of the RM 011 is designed specifically to solve this problem, with its central minute counter and unique dial with intervals for tracking the periods of play.

Although it has a simple design similar to any other flyback chronograph, the RM 11-01 has a unique mode of operation. The dial’s design allows it to display the time of a soccer match based on two 45-minute intervals, just like in real life.

Pressing the pusher at the 4 o’clock position will activate the flyback function, which repositions the second hand at 12 o’clock to restart the second half of the match. This function can also be re-engaged to make the watch show 15 minutes of extra match time and up to 5 minutes of stoppage time. The chronograph function makes this timepiece the perfect companion for watching a soccer match.

Comfortable Fit

The RM 11-01 is a robust but extremely comfortable case designed to perfectly fit the wearer’s wrist. It’s no news to anyone that Richard Mille rarely makes ultra-slim watches. All the chronograph watches in the watchmaker’s catalog are known for their thick casing and prominent wrist presence. But the thick profile of this watch isn’t likely to be a deal breaker for most people. The RM 11-01 might not fit under your shirt’s cuff, but it is designed to be slim enough to be worn comfortably for 90 minutes of soccer play and beyond.

The RM11-01 is an ultra-luxurious watch designed to be worn in action all day long. Consequently, every feature of this watch creates the ultimate wearing experience. The tonneau-shaped casing molds nicely to the wrist, and the case also has a super smooth finish that enhances comfort.

Like most Richard Mille models, the watch is paired with a subtle and flexible rubber strap with a user-friendly double folding clasp for convenience. The rubber strap can be black or green, depending on the model.

Advance Movement

The Richard Mille RM 11 01 is powered by the Caliber RMAC1, the same automatic winding movement found in the base model of this collection. In addition to its chronograph function, this movement has a central minutes counter, a 12-hour totalizer, and an adjustable rotor geometry. Although the watch was designed primarily for the soccer world, it still has a tachymeter scale for calculating speed around the dial's outer edge - a relic of the base model.

The movement has a free-sprung balance, with variable inertia to optimize the winding mechanism to the wearer’s lifestyle. It has 68 jewels and runs on a 4 Hz frequency, delivering up to 50 hours of power reserve when fully wound.

Another highlight of this movement is its annual calendar function. There’s an oversized date window under the 12 o’clock hour marker, while a separate aperture between the 4 and 5 o’clock positions displays the month. The annual calendar can adjust itself automatically for months with different date lengths, which means it only needs manual adjustment once a year.

Durable Casing

The Richard Mille RM 11 01 has a classic tonneau-shaped shape with a dimension of 50.00 x 42.70 x 16.15 mm, almost the same size as the original RM 011. The watch comes in two case options. There’s a rose gold version and a more traditional model with grade-5 titanium casing.

The front and back of this watch are covered by anti-glare treated sapphire crystals and have been hand-finished to perfection. The three-part tonneau-shaped case also has a durable build. The case parts are held together by 20 titanium spline screws and 316L steel washers. This Richard Mille sports watch is designed to be water-resistant to a 50-meter depth.

Richard Mille RM 11-01 Price

The RM11-01 is available in red gold and titanium variants. It was released as a regular production line, not a limited edition model. However, finding a Richard Mille RM for sale nowadays will be quite difficult. It is no longer available in retail, and the only way to get one is by purchasing it in the secondary market. You can expect to pay up to 233,000 USD for an RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini.

Conclusion

The RM 11 series is one of Richard Mille’s most remarkable lines, with several models released over the years. The series includes another Roberto Mancini watch released in 2019 and a limited-edition RM 11-05 GMT from 2020, the latest timepiece in the collection. The RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable models in the collection. Specifically designed for the king of all sports,  this timepiece has practical features that the average soccer fan will likely appreciate.