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The Richard Mille RM 053 Pablo Mac Donough

written by A.Morgan - 30th Jan 2012

You can bet your bottom dollar that when any kind of sports-related personalities become involved with watchmaking, there’s going to be a ‘Special Edition’ with some slightly different colours and an inflated price tag, so when Richard Mille announced that they had formed a relationship with polo player Pablo Mac Donough, it wasn’t hard to be a little disappointed.

Well, that disappointment didn’t last long because that’s not Richard Mille’s style. Material technology and engineering solutions make their tagline, ‘a racing machine on the wrist,’ much more than just marketing hyperbole. Think of Richard Mille to sportsmen as what Q is to James Bond.

Polo being a rough sport and all, it seems obvious then that what would be needed is a watch with a bit of protection. That’s no big deal; Jaeger-LeCoultre did that ages ago with the Reverso. What’s that Pablo Mac Donough? You want to read it as you ride? And you want a tourbillon in there as well?

The bulging case, described by Richard Mille as ‘the armour,’ is made from titanium carbide, the stuff used by the space shuttle to protect it during re-entry, and houses the angled tourbillon which can be seen through the port hole at the front, which is also angled for optimum viewing when hanging on to a rampaging horse whilst swinging a large mallet wildy. The movement is compact and lightweight, giving it a better resistance to shocks too.

Just fifteen of these RM 053’s will be made, so if you’ve been leaving your tourbillon in the locker room before a rowdy game of polo with a hint of disappointment, you had better be quick to get hold of one.