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The RM 68-01 is the answer to Richard Mille's burning desire: to incorporate contemporary art into a watch. Indeed, this Tourbillon movement is not simply a timepiece, but a canvas woven from the boundless inspiration and creativity of street artist Cyril Kongo. A work of art created from bridges and supports is unprecedented in the history of watchmaking. Richard Mille and Kongo have successfully translated the art of street art into the world of micro-mechanics and high precision, a bold leap from the rough walls to the familiar bridges, supports, and sapphire crystal used in the watchmaking industry.
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Contemporary art is skillfully incorporated within the RM 68-01 Cyril Kongo, a bold leap in the watchmaking industry.
“I come from a graffiti art background. All my work originates from graffiti. School taught me to draw, and the rest I learned outside of school. I learned to perceive everything happening around me while always seeking new ideas in unfamiliar spaces. Graffiti is like a language to me; it has its own rules. Graffiti is a way of expressing ideas through letters and symbols on different surfaces, whether it's a rough canvas or a wall. I'm not an artist confined to a specific space or a predetermined surface,” Kongo said.
Portrait of artist Phan Cyril Kongo
The process of perfecting Kongo's paint technique took over a year. A type of airbrush paint was researched and developed so that the artist could spray each drop with the utmost precision. To ensure the absolute balance of the mechanism, the weight of the paint had to be carefully calculated before application. This crucial challenge required the entire Richard Mille technical team to work together, and ultimately, a palette of vibrant colors with a permanent paint that adheres firmly to the titanium components was created.
Phan Cyril Kongo - the king of colors
“First, we researched and developed special tools, and then it took me over a year of experimentation before I could use them proficiently to draw on a watch face less than 5 square centimeters. Some parts of the watch are less than 5mm long, and I even had to draw letters on some parts that were even smaller and shorter, making sure to create a visual effect without using too much ink, otherwise the movement would become unbalanced. It was like a complete car; I had to draw the chassis, the engine, the pistons, and every single detail…” Kongo shared.
This manufacturing technique allows the artist to draw lines so thin they are invisible to the naked eye; however, due to its extreme complexity, it cannot be done by hand, even with the finest pen nibs. Every minute detail of the watch is perfectly finished by the hands of the artist known as the Man of Color.
A close-up look at Phan Cyril Kongo's composition, incorporating details from RM 68-01.
The RM 68-01 demanded that Kongo reconsider his entire approach to graffiti art to meet the complex artistic requirements on the limited surface area of a watch movement. “He pushed watchmaking techniques to the extreme. This is exactly what I expected: to bring the essence of Kongo into a watch. Kongo would never be satisfied with just spraying paint here and there. Cyril Kongo creates his own work of art, from the movement to the tourbillon, and even the shape of the dial,” Richard Mille shared.
On the back of the watch, the Tourbillon movement is easily visible in the center of the case, radiating outwards like a splash of paint thrown against a wall, while on the front, the movement's bridges shoot out in different directions like wild splashes of paint on a street art piece. Using an NTPT Carbon case with a ceramic bezel, the asymmetrical case design of the RM 68-01 tapers in two sections – thinning from 9 to 3 o'clock and rising from 12 to 6 o'clock.
The RM 68-01 is limited to 30 pieces worldwide and will soon be available at the Richard Mille Boutique in Vietnam.
Richard Mille (Vietnam)
- 56 Ly Thai To Street, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, Hanoi
- Tel: (+84) 3266 9356
