SWISS WATCHMAKER RICHARD MILLE TAKES PRECISION OFF THE WRIST AND ONTO THE ROAD, FUSING HIGH-HOROLOGY WITH THE RAW PULSE OF A BROUGH SUPERIOR MOTORBIKE IN THE RMB01, A MACHINE BUILT FOR PURE SPEED AND INSTANT ICON STATUS
BY ARCHANA AITHAL ROSE
Performance has always been the common thread linking watches and racing, but few brands fetishize it quite like Richard Mille. Long fluent in the language of high-tech glamour, the watchmaker’s venture into motorcycling feels natural less leap, more logical escalation. Enter the Richard Mille x Brough Superior RMB01, a thunderous machine that translates watchmaking’s extreme precision into two wheels, balancing brute force with an unexpected sensuality. Its curves convey softness even as its engineering flexes might, offering an elegant entry into a rarified mechanical world where nothing is decorative and everything serves speed.
The bike reads as both object and instrument. Inspired by early 20th century board track racers, it distills the motorcycle to its purest form: light and nimble with exposed mechanics, then reimagines it through mod ern engineering. A sculptural 997cc twin cylinder engine is machined from solid blocks of high-grade 5000 series aluminium alloy, with 160 kilograms of raw material reduced to just 23 kilograms of finished components through five axis CNC machining. Weight reduction continues with a CNC aluminium frame that uses the engine as a stressed structural element, wrapped in a carbon forged exo-skeleton for rigidity and stability. Custom wheels, inspired by the gears of watch movements, are assembled with lightweight alloy hoops and bolted hubs, their layered interaction with the disc rotors echoing the mechanical stacking of a tourbillon. Aerodynamic openings and appendages channel airflow for downforce and stability, while the elongated tank, minimalist seat, and fully visible engine create a taut, feline silhouette. Hand-assembled in France and limited to 150 units, the RMB01 stands as a rare fusion of Richard Mille’s vision of ultimate watchmaking and Brough Superior’s century-old pursuit of cutting-edge motorcycle engineering.
Richard Mille x Brough Superior