Richard Mille creates a watch with Paris street artist Kongo

Cyril Kongo spray painting a watch. — The ’RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo’ from Richard Mille and French-Vietnamese street artist Kongo propels the integration of art and horology to new levels. Pictured: Cyril Kongo in action. Photography: Didier Gourdon

(Image credit: Didier Gourdon)

Dalí melted a watch; the dial on Picasso’s spelled out his name. It was outrageous back in 1985, when graffiti artist Keith Haring produced a dial design for Swatch. Three years later, Warhol created a model for Movado and over the past couple of years, Parmigiani has engaged street artist André Saraiva to create dials for limited edition collections. So, it’s safe to say that a sub-genre caters to art-loving watch enthusiasts.

This month, however, a new level of integration between art and horology emerges with the astounding 'RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo' from Richard Mille. Kongo is the Paris street artist already famed for designing the Hermès graffiti silk scarf in 2011. Now, he has hand sprayed a watch movement, decorating every visible level within to further heighten its multi-layered 3D effect. Despite the miniature scale of the mechanics, Kongo has exploited every surface. From the chapter ring, graduated in hours and minutes, to the bridges supporting the various components, the artist has endeavoured to decorate them all – even the barrel cover and the glass itself.

Richard Mille has never shied away from colour in its designs, adding a wry humour to a design arena dominated by precious metals.

Using a tourbillon movement also shows Mille’s commitment to an authentic coming together of the disciplines of street art and high-end watchmaking. That apparent disconnect is not lost on Kongo, who explains, 'Graffiti is a language with its own codes, a form of writing, whether this be on a gigantic wall, on canvas, or any other surface. I am not a painter bound to a single space, nor to any particular surface.'

The watch design, limited to 30 pieces worldwide, took over a year to develop. A special painting technique suitable to a micro-milieu had to be developed, with Kongo eventually using an airbrush that could deliver one droplet at a time. Even the weight of the paint had to be determined so as not to upset the watch’s functionality, while ensuring it would adhere to the titanium surfaces created further challenges.

No wonder the 'RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo' offers something fresh at every glance.

To the left, we see a hand-sprayed watch on a black background. To the right, we see cans of spray paint in various colors. — Kongo hand-sprayed a watch movement, decorating every visible level within to further heighten its multi-layered 3D effect. *Photography: Didier Gourdon*

Two hand-sprayed watches on a black background. — Richard Mille has never shied away from colour in its designs, adding a wry humour to an arena dominated by precious metals

Art room is filled with canvases and graffiti on the ceiling. — Kongo explains, ’Graffiti is a language with its own codes, a form of writing, whether this be on a gigantic wall, on canvas, or any other surface. I am not a painter bound to a single space, nor to any particular surface.’ *Photography: Didier Gourdon*

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Richard Mille website

Photography courtesy Richard Mille and Kongo