“April in Paris — this is a feeling no one can ever reprise,” crooned Ella Fitzgerald in one of her nostalgic songs. And, indeed, what happened these past few days may be impossible to recapture. If you’ll permit the indulgence of a little name-dropping, my recent sojourn involved the company of Alain Prost, Felipe Massa, and a singular horological marvel: A collaborative masterpiece from Richard Mille and Ferrari.
Our story begins at the legendary Hôtel Lutetia, an enduring emblem of Left Bank elegance since 1910. A symphony of Art Nouveau grace and Art Deco flair, the Lutetia has hosted names such as Pablo Picasso, James Joyce and even Charles de Gaulle himself. Created by the founders of Le Bon Marché, it remains a cornerstone of Parisian sophistication, its storied walls quietly whispering tales of bygone glamour.
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High-octane partnership
Richard Mille, widely known as ‘The Billionaire’s Secret Handshake’ have graciously invited us to witness the launch of a very special timepiece, a collaboration with Ferrari. This will be their second after the two captured the imagination of collectors and connoisseurs alike a few years back with the featherlight RM UP-01 Ultraflat Ferrari, which had a thickness of just 1.75mm.
But now, the second chapter of this high-octane partnership arrives—and it’s rewriting the rulebook on performance and design once more with the RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari.
To mark the debut, good folks at Richard Mille had prepared something called ‘The Track Experience’ at Palais de Tokyo. While there was, admittedly, no racing circuit in sight, the spirit of the track was ever-present with legends from the track. In the first room we met Felipe Massa along with executives from Richard Mille and Ferrari.
Over four captivating phases, we encountered the artisans, visionaries, and engineers who transformed bold ideas into tangible excellence — including some quality time with Amanda and Alexandre Mille and Cécile and Maxime Guenat.
Masterclass in design and sophistication
The result of this collaboration is a watch born at the crossroads of Swiss precision and Italian passion, limited to a mere 150 pieces: Half in Microblasted Titanium, the remainder in Carbon TPT®. As with Ferrari’s most coveted icons, every element of the RM 43-01 is a masterclass in meticulous craftsmanship.
Ferrari’s Centro Stile played an integral role, from the sculpted crown to the bespoke strap inspired by the seats of the Purosangue. A laser-engraved titanium plate bearing the Prancing Horse graces the dial, its silhouette a nod to the rear wing of the Le Mans-winning 499P.
Beneath the surface lies a skeletonized movement reminiscent of an automotive dreamscape. Golden hex bolts, micro blasted bridges, X-shaped struts, and angular ridges evoke Ferrari’s engine blocks and crankcases. Even the barrel jewel setting calls to mind a V8 clutch wheel. The exterior styling channels the aggressive yet elegant lines of icons like the Daytona SP3, SF90 Stradale, and 488 Challenge Evo.
But beauty here is more than skin deep. The RM 43-01’s caliber was engineered over three years, and co-developed with Audemars Piguet. The result, a marvel that delivers 70 hours of power reserve, an off-center tourbillon escapement, and an active seconds display that dances with five radial blades. It’s a technical ballet, perfectly choreographed to evoke the raw elegance of Ferrari’s tachometers and dashboards.
Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s chief design officer, captures the essence of the watch perfectly: “Anything that has a technical purpose can also be beautiful. The concept of functional beauty is something we really love.”
The RM 43-01 is not merely a watch. It is a kinetic sculpture for the wrist, where every torque indicator and Carbon TPT® bridge sings a hymn to performance, precision, and passion. Whether fastened before slipping behind the wheel of a Ferrari or admired in hushed reverence, it is a celebration of extremes — where horology converges with horsepower and innovation knows no limits. For those curious, the privilege of ownership begins at CHF1.15 million ($1.39 million) for the Titanium edition and ascends to CHF1.5 million ($1.81 million) for the Carbon variant.
Beyond the timepieces and legends, the three days were peppered with quintessential Parisian indulgences: Long conversations with Alain Prost, an intimate exploration of French viticulture at Les Caves du Louvre, and a private tour of the Palais Garnier — the opulent opera house that once welcomed Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, and Rudolf Nureyev, and which inspired Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. The experience concluded as it began, in grand style, with a gala dinner worthy of the city’s storied past.
A weekend of precision and passion, art and adrenaline — a rendezvous that, like April in Paris, may never quite be reprised.
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