zelin0802 / October 8, 2022

Smiles, universal and multivalent, are the foundation of our social interactions; expressing our innate desire to connect with others. Just like the little yellow face that appeared in the French newspaper “France Soir” in 1972, it quickly became popular, and the smiling face conveyed positive energy. It is the symbol of communication that comes to life today in the active world of the RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley.

This new self-made automatic tourbillon movement is highly technical and creative, and has been developed over three years. Each of its decorative elements is a joyous emanation of the smiley world: a blooming flower, warm sunshine, delicious pineapples, blooming cacti, pink flamingos and brightly colored rainbows. Sip festive cocktails drop by drop, as the wine glasses in the neon pop scene suggest.

The RM 88 Smiley has seen a series of technical and aesthetic challenges successfully overcome. The size and weight of the golden miniature sculptures created by engraver Olivier Kuhn required special care, as each assembled part weighing less than 1 gram had to be able to withstand a variety of shocks. It was then necessary to determine how to arrange the objects in three-dimensional space around the central theme “smiley”, not only to maximize their effect, but also to facilitate the watchmaker to insert them. The solution was to equip the RM 88 with two baseplates: one to support the movement and the other to hold the decoration on the left side of the dial.

The second challenge faced was the concept of an action that allowed enough free space to present the scene’s multiple protagonists to the best of their ability, matching the level of completion given to them. The new CRMT7 movement is a skeletonized automatic tourbillon movement with hours, minutes and functions, developed in-house. Its bridges and micro-blasted base plate are made of grade 5 titanium to ensure rigidity and flatness. The bridges of the explosive micro-blasted, beveled and pull-out tourbillon are finished with an intricate black and gold double PVD coating, which is also used on the bridges on the back of the baseplate, which accentuates its lightning bolt shape. Every minute, the symbolic small seconds alternate between rainy and sunny days. It slides over the ARCAP cloud fixed to the tourbillon, then hides beneath a small cloud of micro-blasted and satin-polished white gold. It reappears at the foot of a cheerful rainbow designed in four different types of gold. The rainbow itself has alternating micro-blasted and elongated finishes that represent 25 hours of craftsmanship.

A striking smiley figure in micro-blasted and painted gold, hosts this view from the top of a micro-blasted ARCAP® Extra Motion work bridge with polished corners and brushed edges. Featuring a larger iridescent pattern, the hand-applied varnish contrasts with the anthracite-coloured rhodium plating, which shimmers with faint reflections.

Brand fake Richard Mille
Model RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley
Reference RM 88
Case material ATZ white ceramic and red gold
Aspect 48,15mm x 39,74mm x 13,30mm
Water resistance 5 bar (~50 m)
Dial 3D dial with colorful elements
Strap/Bracelet Yellow Velcro Strap
Mobile movement CRMT7
Movement type automatic
Power reserve about 50 hours (± 10%)
Frequency 28,800 times/hour (4 Hz)
Function Hours, minutes, function indicator