richard mille revives 1980s memphis aesthetics with geometric pastel ceramic watches

Richard Mille revives the 1980s memphis design and italian art

Three new watches in colored ceramics spring from the collection of Richard Mille, all of which depict the 1980s Italian art and architecture movement, Memphis Design. RM 07-01 colored ceramic watches underpin contrasting hues, shapes, and materials that allude to the idea of fun and lightheartedness. Richard Mille modernizes the glorious days of the Memphis Design movement and Italian Art, boosted by the matte-like texture that ceramics lend to the three watches.

Richard Mille’s colored ceramic watches not only exude playfulness but are also rigid in their build. Their baseplate stems from micro-blasted grade 5 titanium with an electroplasma treatment coupled with precise surface flatness to perfect the functioning of the gear train. Even the bridges of RM 07-01 are also in grade 5 titanium, micro-blasted, and electroplasma treated. The skeletonized baseplate and the bridges underwent validation tests to make sure they are sturdy enough.

images by Richard Mille

RM 07-01’s adaptable colored ceramic watches

One of the stars of the Richard Mille colored ceramic watches is the variable-geometry rotor. It is designed to wind up the watch’s spring based on how active the wearer is. They can change how it works by moving two little weights on it and securing them with screws. When these weights are closer together, it makes the watch’s spring wind up faster, but if moved to the outer edges, it slows down how the spring winds up. The watches can then adapt to the activeness of the wearer.

RM 07-01 also features guillochage, which is a type of art used to ornate objects like watch dials. The way it works is that skilled artists, called guillocheurs, use machinery to make intricate patterns on the surface of the watch, and these patterns are made up of lines that crisscross and create elaborate designs. This centuries-old artistic practice is incorporated into the colored ceramic watches to revive the practice alongside the 1980s Italian art and architecture movement Memphis Design.

Richard Mille’s colored ceramic watches that reimagine the 1980s Memphis design and Italian art

Ceramic that does not corrode easily

Richard Mille’s revival of the 1980s Italian art and architecture movement Memphis Design ushers the watch company to devise the collection in summer colors: blush pink, lavender, and powder blue ceramics. All of these shades are carefully selected to contrast with other hues dotting the watches. These colored watches are encased within Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal, which is a kind of ceramic made mostly from zirconia and is dubbed not to corrode easily.

Just like sapphire, the material may be hard to scratch so accidental – and intentional – markings might be out of the question. That plus RM 07-01 is sturdy and light given the material used. Carving the shapes on the edges of the colored ceramic watches such as the bezels took time as it involved lots of cutting and grinding using tools tailored to work on diamonds. The case band, which is the middle part of the watch, is made of white gold that has been specially treated to have a textured surface. These colored ceramic watches are also designed to be waterproof up to 50 meters deep.

Richard Mille’s 1980s Italian art and Memphis design gets three colors: blush pink, lavender, powder blue ceramics