- Richard Mille has just announced its latest complication as the RM 41-01 Tourbillon soccer timer.
- Its remarkable functionality includes a timer for the two 45-minute halves of a soccer game, a tourbillon, and a mechanical score counter.
- Available in either Red Carmine Basalt or Dark Blue Quartz colours, both watches are limited to 30 pieces and have an RRP of US$1.94 million (~AU$2.75 million).
Over the decades, watchmakers have devised a range of ingenious ways to time sporting events, from motorsports track timers to yachting regatta timers, but none have been as complicated as Richard Mille’s RM 41-01 Tourbillon soccer timer.
From the outset, it’s worth reminding that Hublot works with FIFA as its Official Timekeeper for all the world’s biggest tournaments, but despite this, Richard Mille has taken its first steps into the world of football. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 just a few months away, the timing of this release is unlikely to be an accident.
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Getting to the watches themselves, Richard Mille has announced two variations of the RM 41-01 Tourbillon, both of which are cased in the brand’s legendary TPT material but each of which differs in their colour, with either Red Carmine Basalt or Dark Blue Quartz as options.
I could write an entire article just about the TPT that Richard Mille uses for its cases, which are constructed from 40-micron-thick basalt fibres, but the real headline here is the movement. Inside both references is the mind-bending new RM41-01 calibre, which comprises 650 internal components and took a full five years to develop (in partnership with Audemars Piguet, no less).
It’s got a flyback chronograph, a tourbillon, a central minute indicator, and at 9 o’clock, you’ll be able to spot the match time indicator (including stoppage time) that rotates from the first half to the second half when you start and stop the chronograph. There’s also a mechanical score counter, displaying the home team along the top of the dial and the away team at the bottom.
With so many functions to manage, it’s got four pushers on the side of the case. The crown side of the watch features pushers to update the team’s scores (one for home and one for away), while on the other side of the case is a start/stop pusher and a reset/flyback pusher for tracking the time. If all that wasn’t enough, the movement also serves up a very healthy power reserve of 70 hours.
Unsurprisingly for such a complicated timepiece, the case is pretty beefy, measuring 43.24mm in width, 49.65mm in length, and a solid 16.08mm in thickness. However, knowing how lightweight the brand’s TPT cases actually feel on the wrist, it likely wears very nicely despite its size.
Richard Mille has made countless super complicated watches over the past couple of decades since its founding; however, few even come close to the remarkable level of complexity that the RM 41-01 Tourbillon has.
Given that Hublot’s got FIFA locked down as far as official timekeeping and the watches worn by referees, it’s unlikely we’re going to see one of these used during a game. However, given the kind of money that’s been spent in the world of football recently, I’d be shocked if one wasn’t spotted on the wrist of a coach or manager soon.
Both versions of the Richard Mille RM 41-01 Tourbillon will be limited editions of 30 pieces, and arrive an eyewatering RRP of US$1.94 million (~AU$2.75 million).
