BY JOVAN K
Richard Mille has been quietly expanding its high jewelry offering for a while now, and the new RM HJ-02 marks the second chapter in that story. The collection consists of 12 unique pieces divided across four colorways: Blue, Violet, Green, and Pink. Each one is a true one of one, sitting somewhere between a serious watch and a serious jewelry commission, which is a much harder balance to strike than it sounds.
The case measures 30.7mm x 6.2mm and features a tripartite construction that draws geometric inspiration from Art Deco, filtered through Richard Mille’s distinctive angular and layered design language. Rather than a clean, uninterrupted tonneau shape, the design incorporates broken surfaces and sharp transitions that alter the watch’s silhouette depending on the light and viewing angle. Richard Mille spent more than a year developing the case alone, which is hardly surprising given the complexity of its geometry, while the collection as a whole required more than three years of development from concept to completion. The entire construction is secured using Grade 5 titanium spline screws and offers water resistance to 50 meters.
The dial, or perhaps more accurately the entire visible face of the watch, is where the 1,399 stones come into play. It’s a staggering total, spread across the case, movement, and buckle using snow, grain, and bezel-setting techniques, with rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, Paraíba tourmalines, malachite, chrysoprase, turquoise, and mother-of-pearl all making an appearance. Rather than being applied as a decorative layer, the stones follow the architecture of the movement beneath them, tracing the tourbillon, barrel, and bridges. The result is a watch where everything feels connected, something many gem-set watches at this level frankly do not bother with. A spec sheet can tell you there are 1,399 stones involved, but it cannot capture what that actually means in practice when it takes almost 700 hours of gem-setting to bring a single piece to life.
Powering the watch is the new in-house Calibre CRMT2, a skeletonized automatic tourbillon measuring 23.70mm by 30.70mm and 6.20mm thick. It operates at 4Hz (28,800vph) and delivers a 50-hour power reserve. A fast-rotating barrel completes a full revolution every five hours rather than the more typical seven and a half, ensuring more consistent mainspring performance throughout the running cycle. The movement also features a free-sprung balance regulated by four adjustable weights, while winding duties are handled by a gem-set gold rotor equipped with Richard Mille’s One-Way reverser system running on ceramic ball bearings. Completing the movement are baseplate and bridges crafted from gem-set 18k white gold, finished with hand-polished anglage, microblasted, stepped bevelling, satin-finishing, and rhodium-plated surfaces.
Each watch is paired with a matching strap, with the gem setting extending all the way through to the buckle. As each piece is unique, Richard Mille has not publicly disclosed pricing or availability, with inquiries handled directly through the brand’s boutiques.
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