It is difficult for us, today, to imagine a world without the 24 time zones to which we have grown accustomed. Yet throughout history and up to the 20th century, many different methods of time zone division were used around the world. With the advent of the railroad and telegraph systems stretching East and West across Europe, the Far East and the United States, the resulting havoc caused by the disparity of time zones reached such a pitched level that something had to be undertaken done. Although the 24 hour time zone division based on a choice of selected prime meridian was originally proposed by the mathematician Quirico Filopanti in 1858, it was not be until the International Meridian Conference in 1884 that the 24 hour division and the choice of Greenwich as the prime meridian would gained international acceptance. And it was not until the 20th century that it was implemented uniformly and adopted unanimously around the globe.
Jean Todt, President of the FIA, is a man in great demand, traveling thousands of kilometers around the globe every year for official events and conferences. Richard Mille wanted to offer extreme travellers like Jean Todt an easy and useful method for keeping track of travel through time zones with a special timepiece, the RM 58-01, which allows a traveller to deal with time zones with unique simplicity and ease.
This manually winding movement has hours, minutes and a 10-day power reserve shown on an indicator at 2 o’clock. The caliber RM58-01, 34mm in diameter, is supported on a baseplate of grade 5 titanium, a material also utilized for the bridges. The tourbillon, positioned at 9 o’clock and oscillating at a frequency of 3Hz, is accommodated in a four-part case made from titanium and red gold. The shot-blasted, satin-brushed and polished rotating bezel bears the names of 24 world cities, symbols of the international 24 time zones on its brown upper flange.
Behind this apparent simplicity hides a technical mechanism of immense complexity. In contrast to other time zone watches, the RM 58-01 does not need any adjusting push-piece to change from one time zone to another. The time is set by simply rotating the bezel anticlockwise, making adjustment a much quicker operation. All the traveller needs to do is position the name of the city where he or she has just landed at 12 o’clock, which automatically sets local time and the time in the other 23 world cities thanks to the 24-hour scale engraved on the flange. The black and white disc distinguishes day from night for the user automatically, so there is no possibility of confusion.
Richard Mille wanted a device that would be very simple to use for the user; nonetheless, this innovation is the outcome of many hours of work by Richard Mille’s movement and case engineers, who managed the feat of linking the bezel and movement with a special gear train for perfect interaction, while ensuring that the whole timepiece remains perfectly water-resistant.
The RM 58-01 World Timer is produced as a limited edition of 35 timepieces. Profits from the sale of this exceptional watch will be transferred to two key initiatives close to Jean Todt’s heart: the Global Campaign for Road Safety as well as the ICM Brain and Spine Institute, which he co-founded.
Technical Specifications
Limited edition of 35 pieces.
CALIBER RM58-01: manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, power reserve indicator universal
24-hour time display, tourbillon at 9 o’clock.
Diameter: 50,00 x 15,35 mm.
MAIN FEATURES
POWER RESERVE
Circa 10 days (±10%).
The power reserve is provided by two barrels fitted consecutively and is indicated on a 2-hour numerical scale.
BASEPLATE AND BRIDGES IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM
Manufacturing these components in grade 5 titanium with a black PVD coating improves the rigidity of the entire assembly and provides precise surface flatness, which is essential for the perfect functioning of the gear train. The skeletonised baseplate and the bridges have been subjected to intensive and complete validation tests to optimize their resistance capacities.
NEW MULTIPLE TIME ZONE ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM
The RM 58-01 features an innovative mechanism for adjusting the time zone. The rotating bezel includes a specific wheel connected to the movement that acts directly on the hours wheel. Turning the bezel anticlockwise ensures quicker, more accurate time-setting.
The lower disc, divided into 24 hours, shows the time in other cities and indicates whether it is day (white part) or night (black part).
Instructions: place the name of the desired city at 12 o’clock to automatically set the local time and see the time in the 23 other international cities marked on the 24-hour bezel.
FREE SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA
A free sprung balance with variable inertia and a terminal-curve spring (originally designed for pocket watches) guarantees greater reliability in case of impacts and during movement assembly and disassembly, thus achieving better chronometric results over time.
BARREL PAWL WITH PROGRESSIVE RECOIL
This device permits an appreciable winding gain (circa 20 %), especially during the start of winding. It also aids in the even distribution of the mainspring’s internal tension.
IMPROVED TIME-SETTING SYSTEM
By replacing engaging friction by rolling friction, the time-setting function is smoother.
SPLINE SCREWS IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM FOR THE BRIDGES
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly. These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
WINDING BARREL TEETH AND THIRD-WHEEL PINION WITH CENTRAL INVOLUTE PROFILE
The wheel with a central developing profile and a pressure angle of 20° promotes rolling movement more effectively, compensates differences between centers, ensures excellent torque transmission and a distinct improvement in performance.
OTHER FEATURES
– Movement dimensions: 39.15 mm
– Thickness: 8,54 mm
– Tourbillon diameter: 11.90 mm
– Balance wheel diameter: 9,12 mm
– Number of jewels: 41
– Balance wheel: Glucydur, with 2 arms and 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 10 mg.cm2, angle of lift 53°
– Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
– Balance spring: ELINVAR by Nivarox®
– Shock protection: KIF ELASTOR KE 160 B28
– Stone setting in white gold
– Barrel shaft in nickel-free Chronifer (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S), with the following characteristics: stainless – non-magnetic – tempered
CASE
Producing the RM 58-01 case is an extremely complex task, as almost 200 parts are required to create it. The design and creation of the watch are both fruits of an overall conceptual approach applied to the case, dial and individual movement parts. Its four-part construction includes the unidirectional rotating bevel that, in addition to being used to adjust the watch, plays a role in keeping the timepiece water-resistant. The case mechanism is completed by horns and screws to securely fix the strap.
The fixed bezel and the case back are made from 5N 18K red gold, both polished and satin-brushed. The case middle is made from grade 5 titanium with a vertical satin-brushing, while the rotating bezel is in shot-blasted and polished titanium.
The lugs in 5N 18K red gold have vertical and horizontal satin-brushing and polished bevels. The crown-protector is made from satin-brushed grade 5 titanium, which is combined with 5N 18K shot-blasted red gold.
The case is assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and is water-resistant to 30 metres, ensured by two Nitril O-ring seals.
SPLINE SCREWS IN GRADE 5 TITANIUM FOR THE CASE
This permits better control of the torque applied to the screws during assembly.
These screws are therefore unaffected by physical manipulation during assembly or disassembly and age well.
FLANGE
Upper flange with brown galvanic treatment.
DIAL
In sapphire (thickness: 0.40 mm) with anti-glare coating (both sides).
CRYSTAL
– Bezel side: in sapphire (1,800 Vickers) with anti-glare coating (on both sides)
– Thickness: 1.10 mm at the centre and 1.75 at the outer edges
– Case back: in sapphire with anti-glare coating (on both sides)
– Thickness: 1.00 mm at the centre and 1.90 mm at the outer edges
TORQUE LIMITING CROWN
This additional security system prevents from accidental overwinding, which could cause damage to the winding stem or putting extreme pressure on the mainspring barrel.
FINISHING
MOVEMENT
– Hand-polished beveling
– Hand-polished locking-sections
– Circular-grained bridge surfaces, all shot-blasted and hand-polished
– Microblasted milled sections in sapphire
– Lapped and polished contact points
– Burnished pivots
STEEL PARTS
– Sapphire blasted surfaces
– Drawn edges
– Anglage and polishing by hand
– Drawn outer surfaces
GEAR WHEELS
– Concave diamond chamfering
– Circular-smoothed faces
– Gilding (before cutting the teeth)
– Minimal corrections are made to the wheels to preserve their geometry and overall performance
