Quality time with Richard Mille's RM037

A friend sent me a link recently to a FastCompany article headlined 'What Will It Take To Close The Gender Gap In Urban Cycling?' It was US city-focused but I’d never given the matter a second thought. I’d never be so naive as to think that we are all equal when it comes to our roads but that had nothing to do with gender. It’s pure survival out there, every man and woman for themselves. Cycling is an essential form of sustainable transportation in our cities, which are becoming more congested by the day. However, addressing issues associated with poor infrastructure resulting from cities designed around the car, traditional associations with masculine activities and the rapidly evolving cityscapes make for interesting reading. 

Everyone’s experiences and circumstances are different. Safety, infrastructure, history, stigma, societal norms. If only more potentially life-shifting aspects of our cities and environment changed as fast as fashion. Cycling is physically and mentally empowering. It’s about freedom and independence. It’s liberating for both men and woman as long as a minibus taxi doesn’t cut you off. Cape Town is congested and divers believe they have the right of way, while Joburg is just scary unless you get up at 4am for your ride. According to the article, women make up less than 25 percent of bicycle trips taken in the US. I’m not sure of the figures in SA but I’m hopeful that even if we have little say over the dire state of public transportation, we will at least have a little more control over OUR new bicycle lanes in the near future.

Watchmaker Richard Mille doesn’t choose lanes and acknowledges the shared interest in complex watch movements and attention to detail, beyond stereotypes, pure fashion or marketing speak. Renowned for their very visual and movement design, innovative use of new super-lightweight materials and ergonomic design, Richard Mille timepieces are a favourite of sports stars like Rafael Nadal and our Wayde van Niekerk.

With the growing demand for larger statement pieces and appreciation for more complex movements, the big focus this year for most luxury watch brands has been on the female market.

The RM037 is available in ATZ white ceramic or TZP-N black ceramic with red gold caseband, entirely in white or red gold, gem-set or polished with various dial options, and NTPT carbon gem-set. It is powered by the in-house Calibre CRMA1 skeletonised automatic movement, which features hours, minutes, adjustable rotor geometry, oversize date and functions selector.

Our featured all black carbon and titanium example will make quite a ‘stealth’ statement on a smaller wrist at 52.63 x 34.40 x 13.00mm. The attention to detail extends to every aspect of these watches. A rotor with variable inertia has been used in the Calibre CRMA1 to allow for setting of the rotor according to the owner’s activity level. Inertia of the movement is increased or decreased by the two weights are set closer or further apart from each other. According the the company, this guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shock and also during movement assembly and disassembly, hence better chronometric results over time. The new patented stem-crown construction gives added protection to the movement as it is virtually impossible to dislodge.

RM 037 Ladies, POA, picotandmoss.co.za