Rithtchard Mithtlle RM 88 Automatic Winding Tourbillon 'Smiley' Limited Edition

The striking Smiley figure in yellow gold, micro-blasted and painted, presides over this landscape from atop the additional motion-work bridge in microblasted ARCAP® with polished anglage and drawn edges. Featuring a larger echo of the rainbow motif, it gleams with faint reflections thanks to hand-applied varnishes, contrasting with its anthracite-coloured rhodium plating.

No effort has been spared in the finishing, down to the tiniest detail of each element in this display. The cocktail glass is an assembly of four parts, all in gold. The umbrella, the olive (1.7 mm in height), the 0.4 mm-diameter grooved straw – all polished – and the glass itself, its base micro-blasted to convey its chill, weigh a total of just 0.4 g. The gold flower above it is mirror-polished, its petals brushed and rhodium-plated. The pink flamingo, 0.2 g of red gold, also undergoes multiple processes: its wings are polished and their feathers traced with the tip of a Dégussit grinding stone; its eye is made using the smallest beading tool in existence; its pedestal is micro-blasted and the part that depicts the grass and water is polished. The component is given a metallic pink PVD coating before the beak is painted black using a brush.

The quest for perfection is ever-present, as demonstrated by the green PVD-coated leaves, the microblasted and polished surface of the pineapple, the microblasted spines of the cactus in yellow gold, polished one by one to remove the PVD coating, and the sun, in microblasted gold with polished rays. In keeping with watchmaking tradition, all finishing operations on the RM 88 Smiley are carried out by hand.

FUNCTION INDICATOR

In a manner similar to that of a car’s gearbox, the function indicator allows one to see the winding and hand-setting positions as the crown is pulled out. The active position is indicated via a hand at 3 o’clock.

FREE-SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIA

This type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation. It guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shocks and during movement assembly or disassembly, resulting in better chronometric results over time.
The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable calibration is possible thanks to 4 small, adjustable weights located directly on the balance.

ROTOR IN 3N YELLOW GOLD

With OneWay® winding system and ceramic ball bearings.

MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS