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In the haute horlogerie world, few names evoke the same avant-garde spirit that Richard Mille watches inspire. Their distinctive look does set these timepieces apart from their counterparts, but that’s not all that keeps getting the horology house a spot in our favourites. The watchmaker’s interest in compositing materials is no secret, having been displayed before in the Gold Carbon TPT, a proprietary material that fuses gold leaf with carbon fiber to create something entirely new. With their newest release, they’ve made gold better again, but this time with something that adds to its shimmer: quartz.
The RM 74-02 Automatic Tourbillon in Gold Quartz TPT is more than meets the eye, and that’s truly a statement when referencing Richard Mille creations. Where its previous iteration was housed in Gold Carbon TPT casing, this version dons the newly unveiled Gold Quartz TPT. It’s truly a testament to the brand’s unrelenting pursuit of innovation. The ethereal glow of quartz fibres tempers the molten allure of 22-carat gold, crafting a material that exists at the intersection of science and artistry.
Exclusive to Richard Mille, Gold Quartz TPT isn’t simply an aesthetic flourish. Born from a partnership with Swiss composite specialists North Thin Ply Technology, its creation is a technical feat. Ultra-thin layers of quartz fibre are compressed under intense heat and pressure. The result is equal parts rugged and refined, its surface rippling with organic striations. Embedded within this translucent matrix are delicate leaves of 5N red gold, their warmth shimmering like trapped sunlight. The effect is almost hypnotic — a material that appears to breathe, shifting in texture and tone with every angle.
The watch casing may be the debuting showstopper, but its workings are just as magnificent. Beneath its exterior lies the CRMT5 calibre, an in-house automatic tourbillon movement that marries technical precision with architectural beauty, a Richard Mille signature. The baseplate and bridges, forged from 18K red and yellow gold, form an openwork labyrinth in an artful display of mechanics. A variable-geometry rotor in red gold and platinum harnesses energy, channelling it through a fast-winding barrel and involute gears, ensuring 50 hours of impeccable performance.
Hand-finished details — bevelled flanges, festooned edges — reveal the obsessive craftsmanship behind the RM 74-02. Yet it is the Gold Quartz TPT that captivates most, a material that defies categorisation. Wholly neither mineral nor metallic, it embodies the philosophy Richard Mille thrives on: innovation not as spectacle, but as a conduit for sensation.
