Exploring The Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer
Subtlety isn’t exactly a paramount design trait when it comes to Richard Mille timepieces and honestly, fans of the brand kind of enjoy that. So when the time came for Richard Mille to release a new world timer back in 2015, everyone knew that they wouldn’t hold back – and they didn’t. The Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer is interesting in the sense that although it appears overly-complex, the brand designed it with practicality and ease-of-use in mind.
The release of the Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer also marked the introduction of the brand’s new in-house CRMA3 movement, which features swift integration of grade-5 titanium. Without getting into the technical details too much, it’s important to note that Richard Mille aimed to make this one of the fastest setting world timers available. This was achieved by removing the need for a pusher dedicated to utilizing the time setting function. Alternatively, the magic takes place at the bezel, which is set on ball bearings and is directly connected to the hour hand. After setting your home time at 12 o’clock, the watch will then be able to reference the time in 23 cities – all at a quick glance thanks to this incredible movement.
This kind of approach to practical design adjustment pushes the Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer beyond something that is just another “flashy watch.” It also shows that the brand is still interested in achieving new and interesting developments with the casual wearer in mind. Perhaps the most immediately recognizable feature is the heavily skeletonized dial layout together with internal rings for the cities and the innermost ring split between white and blue AM / PM indications.
Looking at the case back, we find an extremely prominent and heavy-duty 5N red gold and titanium rotor. From this angle as well,it’s also clear that as complicated as it is, the Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer was still designed with comfort in mind. That’s no surprise, as Richard Mille produces some of the most comfortable watches around. Still, the integrated rubber strap makes the 47mm size easy on the wrist, which is important if you find yourself traveling often and utilizing the world time feature to its fullest extent. Also, if you missed it before, one of the watch’s crowning features is its sapphire crystal coming in at 0.40mm thick. This is simply another sign of how playful Richard Mille can be when innovating through the use of sapphire.
So is the Richard Mille RM 63-02 World Timer the best watch to drag through airport security during your next intercontinental adventure? Probably not. While boarding your own Gulfstream G600 perhaps? Definitely. All jokes aside, this is an impressive timepiece that combines a great degree of material innovation with a new movement built on making the world timer complication easy to use.
