by Elizabeth Doerr

Richard Mille introduced its latest limited edition during an annual sailing event on the beautiful Caribbean island St. Barth. The reason for the idyllic setting is easy to explain: the brand supported the exciting young regatta called Voiles de St. Barth for the sixth time.

Voiles de St. Barth 2015 sponsored by Richard Mille (image courtesy Christophe Jouany)

The winner of the regatta received his own RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph, an automatic watch conceived and designed for open-sea racing with a unique titanium rotating bezel containing an integral compass and a special crown/pusher locking system.

The Richard Mille RM-60-01Regatta Flyback Chronograph St. Barth limited edition

The prize was awarded to fourth-time regatta winner George David, businessman and owner of the maxi yacht Rambler 88. David received his prize personally from Richard Mille and children associated with the YB Afraid Foundation, which was created by Yohan Blake, Olympic sprinter and one of Richard Mille’s high-profile partners. The foundation was created to help improve the lives and security of young Jamaicans.

Voiles de St. Barth 2015 sponsored by Richard Mille (image courtesy Michael Gramm)

But not only is Richard Mille the principle partner of the prestigious regatta set on one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, members of the brand’s management also personally take part. Sorcha, owned by Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille Europe, Middle East and Africa, took home an honorable second place in the CSA Spinnaker 0 class. His boat was easily recognizable by its fittingly beautiful spinnaker sporting a drawing of the RM 60-01 watch.

Peter Harrison’s ‘Sorcha’ at the 2015 Voiles de St. Barth sponsored by Richard Mille (image courtesy Luc Manago)

More than 1,000 yachtsmen and -women from 20 different nations participated in the 2015 edition of the Voiles de St. Barth. The 56 teams navigating most prestigious yachts were presided over by an official ambassador this year: legendary French skipper Loïck Peyron, the most recent winner of the Route du Rhum and Sailor of the Year 2014 – and a member of the Artemis team, now sponsored by Ulysse Nardin in its bid for the 2017 America’s Cup (see Ulysse Nardin’s First Sponsorship: Artemis Racing, Iain Percy, And The America’s Cup).

The Richard Mille RM 60-01 in action at the Voiles de St. Barth 2015

At the same time, the Swiss watch manufacturer introduced a limited edition of the RM 60-01 Flyback Chronograph Regatta in the colors of Les Voiles de Saint Barth available for sale exclusively in North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Richard Mille RM 60-01 flyback chronographs on the wrist at the 2015 Voiles de St. Barth (photo courtesy Michael Gramm)

The automatic flyback chronograph was designed specifically for competitive sailing with its countdown timer. Additionally, the titanium bezel offers a most unusual function for a mechanical watch: a compass. To utilize this function, two key pieces of information are necessary: the local time and the position of the sun. The wearer simply needs to point the UTC hand at the sun and use the rotating bezel to orient the points of the compass (N, S, E, W are clearly visible on the bezel).

This RM 60-01 also includes an interesting crown that can lock both itself and the chronograph pushers quickly and easily simply by turning it. A small display right on the crown shows whether it is currently locked or not.

For more information, please visit www.richardmille.com/watch/rm-60-01.

Quick Facts
Case: 50 x 16.33 mm, titanium
Movement: automatic caliber RMAC2 with twin spring barrels, free-sprung balance with variable inertia, and flyback chronograph
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, month, flyback chronograph, 24-hour/second time zone (UTC function), which doubles as a countdown timer; compass function via rotating bezel
Limitation: 50 pieces
Price: $160,000