The Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Winding Tourbillon Smiley is a playful expression of high-end horology that blends mechanical innovation with pop-culture. Housed in a 48mm white ceramic and red gold case, the watch is limited to just 50 pieces and is powered by the in-house Calibre CRMT7, an automatic tourbillon movement offering a 50-hour power reserve and water resistance rated to 50 meters.
Visually, the RM 88 is defined by its three-dimensional dial, centered around the iconic yellow Smiley face. Originally created by Franklin Loufrani in the early 1970s, the symbol has become a universal emblem of optimism and joy. The Smiley itself traces its roots even further back to 1963, when graphic designer Harvey Ball first sketched the now-famous smile. The Smiley brand, now owned by Smiley, has collaborated with countless fashion and lifestyle houses, and its partnership with Richard Mille marks one of its biggest collaborations to date.
Surrounding the Smiley motif is a miniature world of hand-finished gold sculptures, including a sun, cactus, pineapple, flamingo, cocktail glass, umbrella, clouds, and rainbows. Each element is meticulously crafted and positioned at an angle to preserve depth and dimensionality, giving the watch a sculptural quality unlike traditional skeletonized designs. The Smiley itself appears to float above the movement on a rainbow-varnished bridge, reinforcing the sense of motion and levity. Despite the playful aesthetic, the execution is anything but whimsical, with every micro-sculpture individually finished and secured to withstand shock and wear.
Beneath the dial, the CRMT7 movement reflects Richard Mille’s technical features. Developed over three years, it features skeletonized bridges and plates made from micro-blasted Grade 5 titanium, along with a secondary mainplate designed to support the array of dial sculptures. The small seconds hand rotates once per minute and is adorned with a sun on one end and a lightning bolt on the other, while a function selector at 3 o’clock indicates winding and hand-setting modes. On the caseback, a sun-shaped oscillating rotor in 3N yellow gold and a lightning-bolt-shaped titanium bridge echo the playful theme.
Finished with a yellow woven fabric strap secured by Velcro in classic Smiley yellow, the RM 88 is as expressive as it is technically advanced. Priced at approximately $1.2 million, the Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Winding Tourbillon Smiley stands as a rare collector’s piece that fuses art, pop culture, and watchmaking into one of the most unique watches ever produced.
