Now Richard Mille’s designers have reached for the stars with a series of watches that reimagine the craft of gem-setting: the RM 07-01 Intergalactic collection. They do so by depicting one of the most dazzling sights in the universe: the night sky. Specifically, the Intergalactic collection recreates the sense of stars rushing away from the centre of the universe, thanks to diamonds strategically placed over the dial and case.

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“It all started with the vision of an explosion of stars taking place in the black darkness. We wanted to rethink our approach to gem-setting as a way of bringing the elements together in an intense way,” says Richard Mille’s creative and development director Cécile Guenat.

Unlike its sister watches, the RM 07-01 Misty Night has additional 5N red gold pillars beside the crown.
The watches are crafted from Carbon TPT, an in-house material that forms a striking contrast with the sparkling stones. The material, which Richard Mille first used in a watch almost a decade ago, is a technical marvel that’s created by dividing carbon fibres into their component filaments, each less than 30 microns (a micron, or micrometre, being a millionth of a metre) thick, and packing them into layers.

That process creates a substance with a beautiful, wavy appearance reminiscent of wood grain that is always unique. At the same time, it offers incredible strength and lightness. Carbon TPT’s hardness posed fresh challenges for the gem-setters working on the collection, who needed to use diamond bit milling tools to machine the settings.

The RM 07-01 Starry Night comes with a Carbon TPT bracelet.

The RM 07-01 Intergalactic comes in four models, known as Dark Night, Starry Night, Bright Night and Misty Night, all adorned with various combinations of diamonds, and red gold prongs and pillars.

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At the heart of all four models is the in-house CRMA2 calibre, a skeletonised automatic movement that comes with a baseplate and bridges made from grade 5 titanium, and that features hour and minute functions. The movement has a variable geometry rotor, which optimises its winding motion, allowing it to be set according to the owner’s activity level, while the innovative free sprung balance wheel leads to greater reliability and more accurate timekeeping.