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Introduced in 2004, the RM005 was Richard Mille’s first automatic wristwatch and one of the models that helped establish the young manufacturer. An 18K pink gold example features as Lot 117 in Adam’s forthcoming Fine Watches auction.
Richard Mille launched its first watch, the RM001 tourbillon, in 2001. It was an ambitious debut, combining unconventional materials with engineering more commonly associated with Formula One than traditional Swiss watchmaking. Three years later came the RM005, a more practical automatic wristwatch that would become one of the brand’s earliest commercial successes.
The RM005 introduced Richard Mille’s patented variable-geometry rotor, allowing the automatic winding mechanism to be adjusted according to the wearer’s level of activity. Its movement also featured a titanium baseplate and bridges, components that presented considerable manufacturing challenges at the time.
While later Richard Mille watches became increasingly elaborate in both size and construction, the RM005 retained relatively restrained proportions. Its tonneau-shaped case, exposed spline screws and semi-skeletonised dial established the distinctive appearance that remains central to the brand today.
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The model also offered an unusual degree of practicality, with a date display, centre seconds and water resistance to 100 metres. It was followed in 2006 by the larger RM010, which built upon much of the RM005’s original movement architecture.
Lot 117, the RM005 is housed in an 18K pink gold case with a semi-skeletonised dial, luminous Arabic numerals and an eccentric date display at 7 o’clock.
The watch has recently returned from a complete service carried out by Richard Mille in October 2026 and is presented in exceptional, virtually as-new condition. It is fitted with a new Richard Mille black rubber strap and signed 18K pink gold buckle, and is accompanied by its service box, papers and invoice.
As the manufacturer's first automatic reference, the RM005 represents an important stage in Richard Mille's early development and offers collectors an opportunity to acquire a model that helped establish the brand internationally.
Lot 117 | Richard Mille RM005, 18K Pink Gold
Fine Watches | 2 December 2026
Estimate: €60,000–80,000
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John ffrench was an instrumental figure in the design industry in Ireland and a distinguished pioneer of Irish studio pottery.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
