Key Highlights
- 12 unique timepieces across four chromatic families: pink, violet, blue and green
- New in-house automatic tourbillon calibre CRMT2 in gem-set white gold
- 1,399 precious and ornamental stones per piece, set over nearly 700 hours
- Case and movement co-developed over more than three years
- Snow, grain and bezel-setting techniques applied across every surface, including the movement itself
Why It Matters
The RM HJ-02 is not a jewellery complication added to an existing watch; it is a timepiece where high jewellery and haute horlogerie were conceived simultaneously from the ground up.
For GCC collectors who operate at the highest level of both categories, that distinction carries real weight. Richard Mille has positioned the RM HJ-02 as the second chapter in its high jewellery saga, and the ambition here is categorically different from jewel-set versions of existing references. The collection celebrates 20 years of design for women and does so through 12 one-of-a-kind objects, each irreplaceable by definition. At Watches and Wonders and beyond, few releases this year make as direct a case for acquisition as an act of collecting.
The Story Behind It
Three years in development is a meaningful number when the object in question measures millimetres across.
Richard Mille’s in-house gem-setting team was challenged to push beyond the already demanding standards of the first high jewellery chapter. The RM HJ-02 draws from Art Deco’s geometric vocabulary, but the tonneau case no longer follows a single uninterrupted curve. Sharp transitions, layered planes and asymmetrical interruptions alter its silhouette in ways that required over a year of case development alone. The chromatic universes of pink, violet, blue and green are not colourways applied to a fixed design; the geometry of the stones themselves determines how colour and light move across the watch, with volumes that swell and contract and symmetry that gives way to asymmetry.
Movement & Materials
The CRMT2 calibre was developed in parallel with the case, not after it.
That co-development means the mechanical and jewellery elements share a visual grammar rather than competing across different design registers. The skeletonised automatic tourbillon features a white gold baseplate and bridges finished with microblasted, bevelled and rhodium-plated surfaces. The gem-set gold rotor elevates its technical function into a true element of expression, and precious stones structure the lines of the movement itself, creating continuity between the calibre’s architecture and the watch’s exterior. The variable-inertia tourbillon and fast-rotating barrel are framed by stones without being obscured by them.
Craftsmanship in Numbers
Nearly 700 hours of gem-setting work per piece is the figure Richard Mille gives; that is approximately 88 full working days for the stone work alone.
Each timepiece carries 1,399 precious and ornamental stones. Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds and ParaÃba tourmalines interact with malachite, chrysoprase, turquoise and mother-of-pearl across compositions that balance opacity, saturation and reflection. Snow, grain and bezel-setting techniques organise these stones from the case and buckle through to the movement. The complex geometries of stones in varying sizes and shades produce a visual rhythm that shifts as the watch moves under light, ensuring no two viewing angles produce the same impression.
Where It Sits in the Richard Mille Line-Up
Twelve pieces across four colour families means twelve collectors in the world will own this watch.
The RM HJ-02 sits above the main collection precisely because rarity here is structural, not manufactured. As a collection of genuinely unique objects, it occupies a separate register from limited-edition references with three-figure production runs. For GCC clients who have built depth across Richard Mille’s core catalogue, this is the tier that operates on a different logic entirely: one where the brief is artistic freedom and the constraint is only the number of hours a master gem-setter can devote to a single object.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What movement powers the Richard Mille RM HJ-02?
The RM HJ-02 is powered by the in-house automatic tourbillon calibre CRMT2, a skeletonised movement featuring gem-set white gold baseplate and bridges finished with microblasted, bevelled and rhodium-plated surfaces. It includes a fast-rotating barrel and a variable-inertia tourbillon.
How many pieces make up the RM HJ-02 collection?
The collection comprises 12 unique timepieces organised into four chromatic families: pink, violet, blue and green. Each piece is one-of-a-kind.
How many stones are set in each RM HJ-02 timepiece?
Each RM HJ-02 features 1,399 precious and ornamental stones, including rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, ParaÃba tourmalines, malachite, chrysoprase, turquoise and mother-of-pearl, set using snow, grain and bezel-setting techniques.
How long does it take to produce each RM HJ-02?
Nearly 700 hours are devoted to gem-setting alone on each timepiece, equivalent to approximately 88 full working days. The case took more than a year to develop, with total development time exceeding three years for the entire watch.
Is the RM HJ-02 relevant for GCC collectors?
As a collection of only 12 unique pieces, the RM HJ-02 sits at the apex of Richard Mille's high jewellery offer and is precisely the calibre of object sought by GCC collectors who prioritise rarity, technical mastery and wearable art in equal measure.
