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Richard Mille RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough: First Look at the Cable-Suspended Polo Watch

A look at the 2018 RM 53-01, a 30-piece polo tourbillon with a cable-suspended movement and laminated sapphire crystal, and how it differs from the RM 053.
Estimate3–4 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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The RM 53-01 is a 2018 limited edition of 30 pieces. Richard Mille made it with Argentine polo player Pablo Mac Donough. It is a tourbillon that tries to survive hard shocks without hiding the movement inside an armored case. The movement hangs on thin braided steel cables, and a laminated sapphire crystal sits over it. Every performance statement below is Richard Mille’s design claim unless another source is named. We know of no independent impact test.

What the RM 53-01 is

Richard Mille’s historical-model page dates the RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough to 2018 and states the edition at 30 pieces. It is a manual-winding tourbillon showing hours and minutes. The brand presents it as the result of its collaboration with Mac Donough. Richard Mille Magazine adds that the player supplied strict criteria for the watch’s development.

Hodinkee’s Stephen Pulvirent covered the launch on January 15, 2018. He described a tonneau Carbon TPT case, an openworked movement, a tourbillon at six o’clock and a steel cable-and-pulley suspension. His headline was: “A cable suspension system makes for one seriously shock-resistant tourbillon.” That is a launch-era editorial characterization, not a test result.

Key specifications

Item Detail (per Richard Mille unless stated)
Model RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough
Date / edition 2018 / 30 pieces
Movement Manual winding, tourbillon, hours and minutes
Suspension Two braided steel cables, 0.27 mm in diameter, through 10 pulleys, anchored at four tensioners
Crystal Two sapphire sheets separated by a thin polyvinyl film, with anti-reflective and UV coatings
Case Carbon TPT with structural notches

How the cable suspension works

A conventional shock-protected watch uses an elastic mount around the movement or a rigid case. Richard Mille’s description of the RM 53-01 uses two plates instead:

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  • Central plate: carries the calibre components and the winding mechanism.
  • Peripheral plate: fixed to the case and carrying the tensioners.
  • Cables: two 0.27 mm braided steel cables link the plates. They run through 10 pulleys and are anchored at four tensioners.

The brand says a watchmaker balances the tension by adjusting the four tensioners. That makes the suspension an adjustable system, not a fixed mount. The cables let the movement float inside the case, which is the shock-absorbing idea. How well this works in practice has not been independently measured.

The laminated sapphire crystal

Armor was the earlier answer to protecting a delicate movement, but it hides the movement. Here the crystal is a laminate of two sapphire sheets with a thin polyvinyl film between them. Richard Mille says it may crack under a strong blow but will not shatter. Its page calls the glass “a world premiere in the realm of watchmaking, capable of absorbing extreme shocks without breakage.” That is the brand’s statement. “Unbreakable” would overstate it, because the maker itself allows for cracking.

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The case is machined from Carbon TPT. Richard Mille describes it as resistant to micro-cracks and tears.

RM 53-01 versus the earlier RM 053

Fratello’s first look, also dated January 15, 2018, places the new watch after the RM 053 polo watch. The earlier model protected its movement with an armored case. The RM 53-01 changes the approach.

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Axis RM 053 RM 53-01
Movement presentation Protected by an armored case Exposed through laminated sapphire
Crystal solution Part of the protective case concept Two sapphire sheets with a polyvinyl film
Suspension Not covered in the sources Cables, 10 pulleys, four tensioners
Brief Polo-oriented Polo-oriented, with Mac Donough’s criteria

The sources support describing these design differences. They do not support ranking the two watches on measured durability. Keep the models apart: the RM 53-01 is not the RM 053.

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Price and availability

A launch-era video description from The 1916 Company, dated January 19, 2018, reported a price of US$900,000. That is secondary 2018 reporting, not a current price. We have not verified any current retail or market value. The 30-piece edition is a historical model, so do not assume it is available to buy.

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The Bottom Line

The RM 53-01 is notable for how it handles shock. It suspends a tourbillon on cables beneath a crystal that Richard Mille says cracks rather than shatters. The idea is credible and unusual, but the durability claims remain the maker’s own.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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