This fall, Richard Mille is annoucing a brand new material to watchmaking – NTPT® (North Thin Ply Technology) carbon – to create the first RM 011 NTPT® carbon case.

Originally developed for the sails of racing yachts, NTPT® carbon has quickly become a must-have material in nautical circles. Sails manufactured from this substance are highly resistant and light, and have thus enabled the giants of the seas to claim the finishing lines of the world’s greatest regattas. NTPT® carbon, which has become a reference in composite materials, has been used for Formula 1 car chassis for the last two seasons, and in aeronautics for the fuselage of the future Solar Impulse 2 aircraft.

NTPT® carbon is an exclusive material with a unique appearance. Its remarkable surface displays extremely regular undulations, as NTPT® carbon is composed of multiple layers of parallel filaments obtained by dividing carbon fibers. These layers, with a maximum thickness of 30 microns, are impregnated with resin then woven on a special machine that modifies the direction of the weft by 45° between layers, creating this distinctive visual effect that is reminiscent of precious wood. Heated to 120°C at a pressure of 6 bars, the NTPT® is then ready to be processed on a CNC machine in Richard Mille’s Proart case factory.

When compared to composite materials, whose exceptional physical properties are already well known, NTPT® carbon improves the rate of occurrence of breaking stresses by 25% and of micro-cracks by 200%.

The NTPT® fully protects the RMAC1 automatic caliber, which is recognizable by its large date at 12 o’clock, its month display at 4 o’clock and its flyback chronograph. The movement, made entirely of titanium, has a 55-hour power reserve provided by its double-barrel system wound by a variablegeometry rotor.

The new RM 011 Carbon NTPT® introduces innovative technical solutions that are essential to modern watchmaking.