Carbon case for Richard Mille watch inspired by new McLaren W1 hypercar

Ever since the launch of the radical Speedtail back in 2018, McLaren fans have been looking forward to the follow-up in the marque’s fabled Ultimate Series of supercars – and it arrived during the first week of October when the even more extreme W1 was finally revealed.

With its all-new twin-turbo, 4-litre V8 married to a transmission-mounted electric motor, the £2m W1 boasts a power output of 1258bhp, a 0-60mph time of less than 2.7sec and a top speed of 220mph – making it the most powerful and fastest road-going McLaren ever built.

Two years ago, long before the W1 was revealed to the public, the design team from Richard Mille was allowed a sneak peek of the model in clay to enable them to get weaving on a suitably extreme watch to match it.

Richard Mille and McLaren joined forces in 2016 to create what seemed like an obvious pairing of brands dedicated to making expensive, low-volume products which push the boundaries of design, technology and materials.

The first fruit of the collaboration was the RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-seconds Chronograph McLaren F1 of 2017, which was made in just 75 examples, cost just short of £800,000 and remains the lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph ever made.

Next came the RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren of 2018, 500 of which were made to celebrate the McLaren Senna, followed by the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail of 2021, 106 of which were made to reflect the number of available Speedtails.

The new watch created in honour of the W1 is the RM 65-01 McLaren Automatic Split-seconds Chronograph McLaren W1 and, as with its three predecessors, has been designed to “reflect both the character and the features of the car in terms of its shape, materials and functionality”.

While entirely unique in appearance, the watch is not entirely ‘new’ since it’s powered by the existing (and suitably exceptional) RMAC4 split-seconds movement, the most advanced and sophisticated of the maker’s chronograph mechanisms that, since it beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour, can record elapsed times down to one tenth of a second.

A vertical clutch and two six-column wheels make for precise and smooth activation of the chronograph, while a rapid winding system enables the 60-hour power reserve to be fully recharged in little time using the special push piece found at the seven o’clock position on the case.

Instead of being held in place by a conventional casing ring, the 600-part movement sits on chassis mounting rubbers. It also features Richard Mille’s variable-geometry winding rotor that automatically adjusts to the wearer’s lifestyle to ensure the mainspring retains the optimum torque output for maximum accuracy.

What is most special about the new RM65-01 McLaren W1 chronograph is its carbon case. Almost shrink-wrapped around the movement and measuring an undeniably large 43.84mm wide and 49.94mm long, its shape is based on a bird’s eye view of the W1 and plays heavily on the car’s ‘in and out’ lines.

As a result, it carries an indented double bezel bordered by a polished surround made from grade-five titanium and fixed with Richard Mille’s signature titanium spline screws.

Made from Carbon TPT (that’s thin ply technology), the lower bezel measures 2.3mm at its thickest and 1.7mm at its thinnest, while the upper part is just half a millimetre thick – the equivalent of five Post-It notes – making it the thinnest bezel the maker has ever created.

Elsewhere, automotive features abound, such as the function selector crown which operates along the lines of a manual gearshift by giving the option to choose between three positions – W: winding; D: date; or H: hand-setting.

The crown, especially designed for the RM 65-01 McLaren W1 and based on the splines seen on the rear-wheel-drive car’s drive shafts, is made from grade-five titanium with a rubber coating in McLaren papaya orange and a tip adorned with the McLaren ‘Speedmark’.

Wheel-rim details also inspired the shape of the chronograph push pieces and rapid winding button, all of which are mounted on titanium frames based on the cut-outs seen in McLaren seats, while the W1’s engine cover and ground-effect spoilers are reflected in patterns seen on the papaya orange rubber strap.

The W1 is slated for a production run of 399 cars, the first of which will be built next year – and all of which are already spoken for. The RM65-01 McLaren W1, however, will be made in an edition of 500, with the first 399 being offered to W1 buyers who can opt to have their car’s chassis number engraved on the case.

They have until February to claim them, after which any that get ‘left behind’ will join the other 101 and be offered for sale – at a McLaren-worthy price of £285,000. And word is that Lando Norris was first in the queue.

Richard Mille RM 65-01 McLaren W1, £285,000. richardmille.com