A brief return to St Barths in April 2020 had initially given hope that the 2021 edition of Les Voiles would go ahead. New conditions for entering and leaving the island together with quarantine and obligatory reasons for travel unfortunately made such an international event logistically impossible even this year. Every edition of Les Voiles has seen the winner receive a Richard Mille watch. With no event this year we deemed it the obligation of Richard Mille to donate all the proceeds of the sale of an RM 60-01 to local causes in St Barths. The brand is in talks with the authorities to decide together which projects could benefit from this whether it be for local health facilities or environmental projects.
 

Veering from serene to extreme, Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille has always stood out as a state of the art rendez-vous for top notch competitiveness and record-breaking technology. Richard Mille was there right from the start in 2010. Over its first decade the competition welcomed tens of thousands of sailors and close to 500 boats from the four corners of the world – on average 80 crews competing in 7 classes each edition – swiftly imposing itself as one of the highlights of the Caribbean season. The heady mix of extreme conditions makes this event truly unique.
 

Due to this success, Richard Mille decided to set a new course in 2019, nailing its colors to the mast as title sponsor for the re-baptized Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille. ‘We have supported the event from the get-go. It is a thrill to see the recognition this international regatta has now achieved. Every year the quality of the yachts and crew reaffirms its status as the race to win in the Caribbean,’ said Tim Malachard, Marketing Director at Richard Mille.
 

The RM 028 Les Voiles de St Barth edition was the first with 100 timepieces in 2010 and marked the event’s inception. The baton was subsequently passed to the RM 60-01 Regatta with 50 pieces editions in both 2015 and 2017. Impossible to imagine a watch more specifically developed to meet the needs of skippers worldwide. Powered by the automatic-winding movement RMAC2 calibre, it has an autonomy of circa 55 hours. A flyback chronograph and oversize date display at 12 o’clock together with its month indicator make it the perfect companion for the high seas. A 60-minute countdown timer at 9 o’clock combined with the 24-hour totalizer at 6 o’clock add to the nautical mindset.
 

Its main asset: The orientation both of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres without any calculation. The UTC hand is placed pointing towards the sun. Then the rotating bezel - for the first time in Carbon TPT®, - just needs to be set in order for the UTC hand to indicate the local hour displayed on the bezel. The compass headings North, South, East and West therefore align themselves with the actual direction on the Earth’s surface. This adaptability anywhere on the high seas is what sets the RM 60-01 apart from other “regatta” watches.
 

With the regatta’s colors flying high, the superb flange in turquoise highlighted with Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille logo on the glass back, the RM 60-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Les Voiles de St Barth can truly claim pride of place as a watch for the Seven Seas. What better emblem, what better symbol of the brand’s unswerving support could there be as we all set sail - hopefully! –towards a gleaming new regatta in 2022.

(Images © Richard Mille / Lilas Le Quellec)