Richard Mille 65-01 McLaren Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph W1

The new McLaren W1 supercar that inspired the RM 65-01 is the ground-breaking successor to two of the greatest supercars ever - the McLaren F1 (1992) and McLaren P1 (2013) - and elevates the McLaren "1" car lineage to new heights in every aspect of performance.

The brief for the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 required the watch to reflect the cutting edge, high-performance features of the car in terms of its shape, materials and functionality as well as the ‘engine' that powers it. This development highlights the shared values that have given life to the partnership: push the boundaries of performance, driven by passion and human connection.

The Ultimate Powerplant For The Ultimate Driving Watch
Richard Mille chose to power the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 with its most high-performance automatic chronograph movement, the RMAC4, which beats at an appropriately high speed of 5Hz or 36,000 vibrations per hour.

This high rate of oscillation enables the split-seconds chronograph calibre to record elapsed times down to just one tenth of a second, while the movement's vertical clutch and the two six-column wheels ensure precise and ultra-smooth activation of the chronograph.

Also on the theme of speed, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1's movement (which sits on chassis mounting rubbers instead of being secured by a conventional casing ring) features a "rapid winding" system that enables the 60-hour power reserve to be fully recharged in little time using the special push piece made from orange Quartz TPT.

And, in keeping with McLaren's "performance everywhere” principle ensuring that the W1 is the ultimate supercar, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 is also perfect for daily use thanks to both the built-in robustness of the 480-part movement and its variable geometry winding rotor that can be adjusted to the wearer's lifestyle. The view through the crystal enables the grey electroplasma treatment of the grade 5 titanium baseplate to be fully appreciated, along with the black PVD and grey electroplasma-treated grade 5 titanium bridges.

Regarding the development of the RM 65-01 caliber, Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movements at Richard Mille, said: "This project perfectly illustrates Richard Mille's philosophy of constantly pushing technical boundaries to create innovative watches that include the latest watchmaking developments with a functional, practical and high-performance approach."

Bespoke Bodywork - The Rm 65-01 Mclaren W1: A Watch Like No Other
Just as the McLaren W1 is engineered to be the marque's most focused and advanced supercar to date, the watch that complements it is among the most technically complex of all Richard Mille's ‘Racing Machines on the Wrist'.

Wrapping around the automatic split-second chronograph movement of the watch just as the W1's swooping bodywork cocoons its engine and occupants, the 43.84 x 49.94 x 16.19 mm Carbon TPT case of the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 was inspired by the car's lines.

Early in the W1's development phase, the Richard Mille creative team, directed by Cécile Guenat, Creative and Development Director, was given exclusive access to the first clay mock-ups of the W1 in order to take inspiration from its shape - and determined that a view of the car from above would be the starting point.

The W1's striking design, built around the unique McLaren “aero-cell” architecture, gave rise to the RM 65-01 McLaren's indented "double" bezel, which posed one of the greatest technical challenges in the watch's creation.

Drawing from the W1's compact and muscular shape, high waistline, and anhedral door, the Carbon TPT bezel sits on a satin-finished and polished grade 5 titanium second bezel, showcasing advanced engineering. Its crenellations reveal the Carbon TPT caseband, adding depth and emphasizing the watch's contours. It required nine months of work (during which eight prototype designs were experimented with).

The bezel's upper part is a mere five-tenths of a millimeter thick at its thinnest point, making it the thinnest bezel Richard Mille has ever produced. The Brand also developed a new skeletonized titanium dial design based on McLaren's wheel rim patterns, subtly highlighting details with colors synonymous with the marque. This evokes the feel of a supercar dashboard and, importantly, enhances the practicality of the watch in use.

Driving Dynamics
Being a true driver's watch, the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 features the celebrated function selector crown. This crown operates like a transmission selector, giving the option to choose between three different positions: W for “winding, “D for “Date,” or H for “Hand-setting.“

The crown, especially designed for the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 and based on the splines seen on the W1's drive shafts, is made from grade 5 titanium with a partial, easy-to-grip rubber coating in McLaren papaya orange and a tip adorned with a papaya-coloured McLaren ‘Speedmark'. Wheel rim details also inspired the shape of the chronograph push-pieces and rapid winding button, all of which are mounted on exquisitely crafted titanium frames based on the cut-outs seen in the lightweight seats typically used in McLaren supercars. 

The aerodynamic angles of the foils and ducts found on the W1's engine cover and ground-effect spoilers are reflected in patterns on the papaya orange rubber strap. Turning the watch over and looking back at the sapphire crystal case reveals the superbly finished movement.

Since forming their long-term partnership in January 2016, Richard Mille and McLaren have created three previous watch models:
- The RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph is the lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph in the world (2017)
- The RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren (2018)
- The RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail (2021)