Richard Mille Just Unveiled a New Limited-Edition Motorcycle
Richard Mille is switching gears. The Swiss watchmaker, known for producing highly complicated timepieces, has teamed up with Brough Superior to create a limited-edition motorcycle.
Developed over 18 months, the RMB01 is essentially a tourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary in a two-wheeler form. It combines the sleek and striking Richard Mille design DNA with the impeccable engineering for which Brough Superior is renowned. The British bike manufacturer was founded by George Brough in 1919, but shuttered unexpectedly during World War II in 1940. The nameplate was resurrected by Thierry Henriette and Albert Castaigne in 2013, with the duo establishing a workshop in France to continue creating hand-built beauties.
Both Richard Mille and Brough Superior push the envelope in their respective fields, favoring innovative materials, avant-garde aesthetics, and dazzling mechanics. The RMB01 pays homage to the old Broadtracker bikes that raced on wooden tracks in the U.S. in the early 1900s, with a simple stripped-down design that comprises an elongated tank, a minimalist seat, and a sculptural engine.
The materials are firmly in the 20th century, though. All components were designed and engineered specifically for this machine, including the CNC aluminum frame, the forged carbon exoskeleton, the exposed engine casing, the swingarm, and Brough Superior’s signature Fior-type fork with double wishbone. The latter includes moving mechanical parts, much like a watch movement.
The custom wheels mirror the gears of watch movements, too, with lightweight alloy hoops enhancing maneuverability and a bolted hub improving stiffness. The engine, which is a turbocharged version of Brough’s 997cc V-twin cylinder, was machined from solid blocks of aircraft-grade alloy. It can churn out 130 horses, so it is kind of like a caliber driving a timepiece. Richard Mille says that power can be “fully exploited on the track,” thanks to “aerodynamic appendages that provide support and stability.” The instrument cluster also evokes Richard Mille wrist candy, with a visible mechanical speedometer that is reminiscent of a skeletonized dial.
As with a Richard Mille watch, the bike is available in various colorways. The three versions include the Pearl of Speed (pearlescent white with red details), the Selene (matt grey with orange details), and the Nocturnal Sapphire (midnight blue with blue details).
“Born from the encounter of two mechanical enthusiasts, this machine, both a leaping jaguar and a sprinter, full of power and femininity, will remain an unforgettable experience for the team,” Brough Superior president Thierry Henriette said in a statement.
The RMB01 is limited to just 150 individually numbered examples and priced at €200,000 (roughly $235,000).
This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.