Richard Mille copy has a philosophy. He believes that luxury watches should be tested in real world conditions. That’s why his partners include some of the most successful performers in the world’s most demanding sport. Topping the list is Felipe Massa, no less than six Richard Mille watches bear his name.

The Brazilian F1 star was the first racing driver to wear a Richard Mille watch on his wrist. His first eponymous model, the Richard Mille 006, launched in 2004, became the flagship timepiece in a now legendary collection inspired by and built for the supercharged environment of racing cars. They have some of the highest prices and fanciest fan bases for performance sports watches in the world.

So what makes a classic sports timepiece? We take a look at the evolution of Richard Mille Felipe Massa, starting with his iconic RM006 timepiece and take a closer look.

RM006
The first Felipe Massa watch featured a movement baseplate made of carbon nanofiber. The material is reminiscent of carbon nanomaterials used in the design of F1 racing cars. Its extreme strength and lightness allow the watch to resist the enormous vibrations that exist in the cockpit of a Massa racing car – while the element of real-world testing gained by placing the watch in an actual racing environment allowed Richard Mille to refine future designs.

RM008
Richard Mille added a complex tourbillon cage to his already successful design, creating an instant classic that has become one of the most sought after luxury watches in the world. The RM008 retains the extreme lightness of its predecessor, with the 85-part tourbillon cage weighing just 0.34 grams. Its adjustment is one of the best in the history of timekeeping, adding an extra technical element to the design of a high-end sports watch.

RM009
Continuous testing by Felipe Massa led Richard Mille’s R&D laboratory to recommend a new material for the baseplate of the movement: aluminium-lithium. The shock resistance and reliability of the new tourbillon mechanism, combined with the extreme lightness of the material, allow this timepiece to weigh even less than the flagship RM006. The barrel and pinion of the third wheel in the movement have been redesigned and contoured for smooth engagement at multiple angles – maintaining the watch’s accuracy even through Massa’s fastest turns.

RM011
The RM011 sees Richard Mille’s luxury sports watch expand beyond the track. Still very complicated, but now with a self-winding mechanism that responds to changes in the user’s arm movements, the chronograph takes the technology from the RM008 and improves upon it. Significant technological advances include the flyback function, which allows the user to reset the chronograph without stopping the entire mechanism, and the case – which itself took a year of research and even an incredible 18 days Machine adjustments are required to use tools to affect materials.

RM050
In his 50th watch, Richard Mille brings together everything he has learned while creating the previous 49 watches. The RM050’s movement, RMCC1, updated the tourbillon split-second chronograph that powered the RM008, and its status has now been cemented as one of the most important innovations in contemporary horology. RM050 only relies heavily on the testing experience of Richard’s sporting partner. Its extraordinary performance is distinguished by its ability to precisely repeat its function under a range of demanding conditions.

RM056
The pinnacle of Felipe Massa and quite possibly the greatest achievement in sports watch creation, the RM056 is the masterpiece of Richard Mille. Its sapphire crystal case, three months in the making, is a triumph of art and engineering, inspired by Richard’s love of exploded diagrams of engines he had pored over as a child. This, combined with the RM056’s ability to eliminate the initial jump in the operation of the tracking seconds mechanism, made the Massa the obvious choice for its namesake.

With a brand 94 years younger than Rolex, Richard Mille redefined the art of luxury sports watchmaking. His army of high-profile sports ambassadors has grown, including Romain Grosjean, Sebastian Loeb, Rafael Nadal, Bubba Watson, Diana Luna, John Blake and Alexis Pinturo. From explosive power to extreme environments, Richard Mille cheap men watches are a true embodiment of the spirit of technological advancement.