Haute Complication: Richard Mille RM 11-03 Jean Todt

By Martin Green August 22, 2017

One of the first people to prominently wear a Richard Mille was Jean Todt. It was the beginning of a deep friendship between the charismatic watchmaker and the racing car legend. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jean Todt’s illustrious career, Richard Mille created a collection of limited editions, and among them this beautiful RM 11-03 Jean Todt.

Eye-catching is the beautiful blue color of the case, with some white accents incorporated in them. This extremely light composite material is created by stacking 600 layers of silica, each only 45 microns thick, and impregnate them with a blue resin. After being heated to 120 degrees celsius, the material is machined into its final shape.

The movement is equally innovative and eye-catching, crafted from a grade 5 titanium alloy, with a PVD coating, featuring a high-tech finish. While the RM 11-03 Jean Todt has an avant-garde feel to it, old school craftsmanship is utilized as well, as is evident by the hand chamfered and polished bridges, as well the locking sections. Interesting to note is that the RM 11-03 Jean Todt not only features an oversized date aperture at twelve o’clock but also automatically adjusts for months with 30 or 31 days, making it an annual calendar.

Of course, the flyback chronograph is the main complication in this watch. Powered by automatic manufacture caliber RMAC3, it features two main spring barrels, providing the watch with a 55-hour power reserve. It also features Richard Mille’s signature variable geometry rotor, another testimony to the sportive character of this Richard Mille.

Combining all, it seems that Jean Todt couldn’t have wished for a more fitting tribute to the five decades in which he ascended as a motorsport greatness, as well as a better token of respect, admiration, and friendship from Richard Mille himself.