When Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille teams up with Brough Superior, Britain’s legendary motorcycle marque, the result is anything but conventional. The RMB01 isn’t just a superbike – it’s a mechanical manifesto, merging the obsessive precision of haute horology with the raw aggression of track-focused engineering. It’s the kind of machine that doesn’t just move; it performs with intent, each component echoing the intricate logic of a high-end timepiece.
The RMB01 is the product of two brands cut from the same billet. Richard Mille has long chased the edge of mechanical innovation – remember the razor-thin Ferrari collab? – while Brough Superior has built motorcycles that are as much art as they are engineering. The RMB01 pushes that synergy further. At its core is a 997cc V-twin engine, sculpted from a 352-pound aluminum block and machined down to just 50 pounds of essentials. That monastic dedication to weight reduction delivers 130 horsepower, not to shatter lap records, but to embody control, balance, and mechanical clarity. The casings alone are milled from high-magnesium 5000-series aluminum alloy, letting the engine’s inner workings become part of the aesthetic.
The chassis reflects the same ideology. A CNC-machined aluminum frame anchors a self-supporting forged carbon exoskeleton. Brough Superior’s signature Fior-type fork – with its dual wishbone design – decouples steering from braking, delivering a cornering experience that feels uncannily precise. Even the wheels play along: their divided rims echo the layered complexity of Richard Mille’s signature skeletonized movements. And the speedometer? It’s not a screen – it’s a mechanical instrument, as analog and exquisite as the dials the brand is known for.
Aesthetically, the RMB01 treads carefully between functional exposure and luxury refinement. The aerodynamic kit, rendered in frosted anthracite grey, plays against subtle grey tones and vibrant blue detailing – visible on the cylinder heads, clutch system, and suspension springs. Available in three colorways – Nocturnal Sapphire, Selene, and Pearl of Speed – the bike doesn’t shout. It hums with understated confidence.
Only 150 of these machines will be built, each hand-assembled in France and individually numbered. Price? Well north of $200,000. But this isn’t about specs or exclusivity alone. It’s about the translation of a philosophy. What Richard Mille has done with watches – stripping them down to their mechanical truth and celebrating the exposed beauty – the RMB01 now does on two wheels. It’s not a motorcycle trying to be a timepiece. It’s a timepiece that happens to be rideable.
Whether it ends up in a climate-controlled showroom or pushing limits on a private circuit, the RMB01 is one thing above all: a physical, operable extension of horological mastery. For those who see luxury not just as refinement, but as mechanical poetry, this bike speaks their language. And don’t forget to check our list of the most expensive bikes in the world.
