At first glance, the RM 70-01 is a dense landscape of carbon, titanium, red markings and exposed wheels. Yet the detail that explains the entire watch sits at the upper left of the dial: five small rollers that together display a distance. Richard Mille created the model with four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost, taking inspiration not from the racing car but from his lesser-known interest in cycling. [1]
A mechanical mileage record
The idea was easy to describe and difficult to build. Many cyclists can see the day's ride on a computer, but do not have the season's total distance to hand. The RM 70-01 answers with an entirely mechanical totaliser. The pusher at two o'clock selects one of five rollers. Two yellow arrows show which roller is active, and the pusher at ten o'clock advances the number by one step. A neutral position marked N locks the system against accidental changes. [1]
The watch does not measure the ride by itself. Its owner transfers the day's kilometres to the five rollers, turning the counter into a mechanical archive on the wrist. That deliberately old-fashioned act is what makes the complication compelling: a number that an app could store effortlessly is translated into springs, a selector mechanism and a carry system between the rollers. [1]
A tourbillon beneath the odometer
Behind the totaliser sits calibre RM70-01, a manually wound tourbillon movement with hours, minutes and a power-reserve display. The reserve is approximately 70 hours and is shown at five o'clock by an indicator driven through a planetary differential. The baseplate and bridges are made from grade 5 titanium, selected for rigidity and stability around the complex movement. [1]
The details borrow deliberately from the bicycle. Titanium screws around the bridges resemble Allen bolts, the barrel ratchet recalls forged wheel spokes, and the crown evokes a pedal. These references sit within the mechanism instead of appearing as printed illustrations; they emerge as the components are followed across the open dial. [1]
A case drawn for the handlebars
The case is machined from Carbon TPT and combines Richard Mille's tonneau form with a rectangular, distinctly asymmetric profile. According to the maker, its shape serves both legibility and comfort while the hand grips a bicycle handlebar. The photographs show that the left and right sides do not attempt to mirror one another: the case is built around its functions and two pushers.