Three weeks after the centenary race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first edition of which took place on May 26 and 27, 1923, the engines will once again be unleashed in the Mulsanne Straight. This time at Le Mans Classic. No doubt never has the event created in 2002 by Patrick Peter fulfilled its role of celebrating the automotive cult. For this 11th edition, a particularly enticing program has been drawn up: 800 competition cars on the track, 8,500 collector’s vehicles on view in the general enclosure, 150 exhibitors, 1,000 drivers of 30 different nationalities, not to mention a sale to prestigious auction organized by Artcurial. Figure symbolizing the scale of the event, more than 200,000 visitors are expected from June 29 to July 2.
Amilcar, Bentley, Delage, Salmson, Lorraine-Dietrich… This 2023 edition of Le Mans Classic will allow spectators to admire 24 cars that took part in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans, won a century ago by a Chenard
To allow antique Porsches, Ferraris, Bentleys, Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, Fords and other Jaguars to reconnect with their glorious past (some displaying “only” forty years of age on the clock, others more than a century) , it would not be possible today to force them to fight again for two turns of the clock. Several rounds of approximately one hour will therefore be offered to them during this long weekend, day and night. The races will follow one another, alternating generations of cars, and we will see, for example, the queens of endurance that were the legendary Group C of the 1980s (with the Porsche 956 as headliners), succeeding on the track four-wheeled cigars that pioneered in the early 1920s.
Richard Mille RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic watch. Quartz TPT® case. Dimensions 38.40 x 47.34 x 11.68mm. Carbon flange. Grade 5 titanium dial. Automatic flyback chronograph movement. Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, function indicator and stop second. Anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Water resistance 30 m. White rubber strap. 150 copies. 295,000 Swiss francs excluding VAT (approximately 360,000 euros including VAT). © DR
During previous editions of Le Mans Classic, we have become accustomed to seeing the watchmaker Richard Mille, a partner of the event since its origins, unveil watches in the colors of the event. Summarizing Richard Mille’s attraction to innovative materials, sophisticated complications and avant-garde design, the various Le Mans Classic special series, traditionally combining green and white, have thus punctuated the growth of this vintage competition. In this commemorative year, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an exceptional way, the brand has decided to strike a blow. The spectacular new RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic will only be offered in 150 very exclusive examples.
On the dial of the new RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic providing the hours, minutes, small seconds, flyback chronograph, date and stop seconds functions, a detail links the watch to the 24 Hours of Le Mans: the number 16 on the hour counter is colored in red, a nod to the race’s traditional start time. © DR
This Richard Mille RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic watch is impressive in more ways than one. First of all by its ultra-sporty look, its generous dimensions (47.34 mm x 38.40 mm) and its two-tone construction in Quartz TPT®, but also by the sophistication of its dial with multiple indications. The skeletonized self-winding movement in fact performs the hours, minutes, small seconds, date, flyback chronograph and stop seconds functions. Small aesthetic detail: the number 16 of the hour counter is colored in red, a nod to the traditional start time of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Equipped with a platinum rotor and grade 5 titanium bridges visible through a transparent back, the self-winding movement of the RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic has a power reserve of around 50 hours. chronograph engaged or not. © DR
To bring this beast of a race that is the RM 72-01 Le Mans Classic to life, the brand has chosen to equip it with the first in-house flyback chronograph movement. This incorporates a patented double oscillating pinion clutch device. “This new type of flyback chronograph dissociates the torque between the various counters of the chronograph”, explain its designers who specify that the display, the connection of the minutes and the hours are separated from the seconds wheel of the chronograph, thus ensuring optimal performance. There is no doubt that the happy future owners of this watch will be keen to engage in fine timing sessions, to allow the various hands to come into action and measure the time of this historic edition of Le Mans Classic.