It’s no secret that award-winning singer, songwriter, and music producer Pharrell Williams was completely smitten by Star Trek when he was growing up – who wasn’t! In fact, he is known to have a ‘deep link’ with the cosmos and derives a sense of spirituality from the wholeness of space and beyond.
Given this background, a partnership between Richard Mille and Pharrell Williams sounds like a natural progression. The RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams is an intense example of what can be achieved when give an artistic expression to space travel, focusing on the details around the planet Mars.
RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams
A look at this timepiece and you know that it is backed with a compelling story. The colors and the art on its decorative bridge, which covers a large part of the dial, is a captivating. The hand-painted titanium piece, which showcases the helmet of an astronaut in white, looks spectacular.
I am completely fascinated by the presentation of the topography of the Martian landscape and the way Richard Mille has showcased the Mariner Valley. This is the spot where the first-ever Mars probe touched down. The signature 42.35-millimeter tonneau-style case, encompasses all the design details with finesse and forms the basic structure for the watch.
Movement and More
The RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams sports hex screws all around the bezel. An advanced hybrid material of titanium and ceramic called Cermet is used to make the bezel and caseback. This gives the two a metallic brown look. The inner sandwiched layer is made from a material used in aerospace – carbon TPT, which is a layered carbon fiber material.
The crown sports an intricate design that looks the wheel of a Mars rover. The skeleton dial design is classy showcases layers of decoration. The main movement plate and bridges are all made from Grade 5 titanium, along with this, it is decorated with slabs of finished aventurine. The effect of this is a landscape that looks like cluster of stars on the deep blue backdrop of space.
At 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock you will find two inlaid black sapphires and four inlaid diamonds. The many references to Mars and Earth in the backdrop, is quite commendable. To put into perspective, and to justify the $969,000 price tag, the visor is crafted from a single piece of red gold. It is hand engraved via a process that takes about fifteen hours.
Artisan Pierre-Alain Lozeron has spent over 24 hours doing the intensive hand-painted parts. Of course, we also need to factor in the grand-feu enamel process.
Interestingly, the focus of the watch is on the art and the depiction of the Mars landscape, and the tourbillon escapement is not fully visible, but owns its spot at the 6 o’clock position.
The RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams is powered by a manually wound Caliber RM 52-05 movement that provides a 42-hour power reserve. The watch is teamed with a signature RM rubber strap in Martian medium orange.
This limited edition watch is restricted to 30 pieces only.