Hi everyone,

I got a chance to try the very light Richard Mille Lotus F1 RM011 sometime ago and thought I should share my feelings about it.

First, you may remember Andrew's fantastic article about its big brother, the RM050 Lotus F1 ( www.watchprosite.com ).

The RM011 Lotus F1 I tried is a full NTPT watch (bezel, case-band, pushers and case-back). It also exists with a rose gold caseband. We talked a lot about this recent carbon-based material, another version of the Kevlar/carbon materials woven a different way than the pattern you’re used to seeing. This method is used in high sailing competitions for sails but also for masts for instance.

I have already taken a few pictures of a NTPT Carbon RM011, the “Black Knight” 100 pieces limited edition (here: www.watchprosite.com ).

As I said in the past, what is very impressive and leaves a very strong impression when wearing an RM watch is the comfort due to the shape of course, but also due to its lightness.

In a sector where watches are often assessed from the gold or platinum heft feeling, this was quite a different way to go when Titanium was heavily used and when the first nanotube/carbon cases were added to the collection.

The NTPT Carbon is the second carbon-type material used and brings a lot in terms of scratch resistances compared to its predecessor.

Back to the watch, the RM011 Lotus F1 is provided in a quite appealing color combination, while not shouting as the gold color may make you think at first. Rose gold and red work really well together and were not very often used in RM watches in the past. They even give a welcome touch of “fiesta”. Furthermore, the Lotus F1 logo remains discreet as it is mixed with the skeleton work’s show, thus it doesn’t stand out as a brand you would not like to notice each time you look at your watch. This brings us to a nice high-tech atmosphere combination between material, decoration and names.

The fact the watch is mainly black makes it appear a little smaller compared to a light color and I enjoyed very much wearing this watch, even if the RM011’s size is usually a little too much for my wrist.

On the movement's side, we are able to explore the details of the Flyback Chronograph and Annual Calendar, from both sides, and I can't help thinking it is one I love to look at, especially with such rotor (a feeling I also have with the RM010 and even more with the RM030).

I hope you’ll enjoy the pictures and I encourage you to try them if you have a retailer in your city. This is a great watchmaker to experience, though very different from traditional watchmaking. Like any RM I could try, it is worth the discovery.

You can find additional details on the official website, here: http://richardmille.com/watch/rm-011/?collection=homme

Best, Mark

- Thanks to the Chronopassion team for letting me spending such a long time with this one -