B.R.M. ’s R50-TN Performs Like a Fined Tuned Supercar

The French call it Reserve de Marche. The power reserve indicator is to the mechanical watch what the fuel gauge is to the gasoline engine. Indeed, one glance at B.R.M’s stunning new timepiece, the R50-TN, should be enough to convince anyone that luxury watches and motorsports might just have a whole lot more in common than we thought. We’ve been following for some time the first steps in America of a new and exciting brand, Bernard Richards Manufacture. Featuring radical engineering and bold designs, the French timepieces have brought a breath of fresh air on a market otherwise dominated by overwhelmingly conservative Swiss competitors. The B.R.M models have always paid a heavy tribute to the world of motorsports, but the R50-T Reserve de Marche goes further by incarnating the true essence of a high performance wristwatch. Behind the raw beauty emanating from the exposed movement, a masterpiece of craftsmanship shaped like a motorcycle engine, with the cylinder on the left, lies more than just a few revolutionary innovations.

 

First and foremost, let’s come back to the Reserve de Marche. This crucial feature measures and displays the tension left in the mainspring of a watch – and therefore the amount of autonomy remaining — at any given time. While an automatic timepiece needs at least 30% of its mainspring to be wound in order to run properly, it requires to be worn between 10 and 15 hours per day to reach a full wind. A lot of people tend to think that just shaking the watch a few times is enough to give it a jump start, and realize only later that automatic watches are actually designed to be worn most of the day and be put to rest only at night, just like the rest of us. Instead of being discretely tucked on the side, the Reserve de Marche is located at 6 o’clock on the R50-T. The smaller needle indicates the amount of power reserve left, with a maximum charge of 48 hours. The whole design brings competition to mind and is clearly reminiscent of motorcycle instrumentation. And, cruel or not in these times of inflated gas prices and deepening energy shortages, what the Reserve de Marche really tells us is how much time and energy we REALLY have left.

 

Everything about the B.R.M. R50-TN seems to bring us back to the universe of finely tuned race engines. This stunning achievement, released in late 2007 by the French manufacturer after two years of work, features the most ground-breaking design built around B.R.M.’s patented Isolastic System. The first French-made movement in three decades is mounted on fiber glass or carbon fiber triangles maintained by springs to minimize any vibration inside the case. The rotor is made of aluminum and a rare, hard and heavy metal called tantalum. Every screw has been replaced with a bolt, as if to underline the dramatic engine-like mechanism, enclosed in a 50 millimeter case made of extra hard titanium grade 2. The R50-TN Reserve de Marche was designed by a small team of passionate engineers with a serious weakness for motorsports in general, and sports motorcycles in particular. No wonder B.R.M. was recently asked to craft 10 unique timepieces to match the mind-blowing Ecosse Heretic Titanium Series, perhaps today’s rarest and most coveted street bike.

 

There have been hundreds of variations on the theme of the wristwatch as an accessory, or even a tribute, to a high-performance vehicle, car or motorcycle manufacturer, from Ferrari to Lamborghini, Porsche and Ducati to name just a few. Most of these watches  look great and succeed in exploiting the aesthetics associated with a brand’s logo and image. But the B.R.M. R50-TN Reserve de Marche is the real thing. You don’t need anyone’s seal of approval when you obviously embody the spirit of racing on your own, inside and out. In comparison with Swiss giants usually associated with motorsports such as Longines or Tag-Heuer, B.R.M. is a small manufacturer with genuine personal ties to the racing community. The word is out and many professional drivers, such as Henri Pescarolo, former Le Mans winner and current team owner, have already been seen, in action, wearing one of B.R.M.’s newest models. Then there are the regular people, like me and you. Well, without ever leaving your wrist, the R50-TN will make you feel as if you were riding your dream motorcycle into clockwork ecstasy.

 

Perhaps more than any other B.R.M. model, the R50-T Reserve de Marche echoes the Spartan features of a racing engine. Bare essentials are the key of high performance. You don’t need veneer panels, GPS and precious metals when your goal is to top the time sheets and to be the first to cross the checkered flag. You need high-tech materials and outstanding engineering, superior skills and absolute dedication. Let’s face it, there is something incredibly sexy and dangerous about keeping an engine entirely exposed, especially when this engine is rotating so close to your skin. Motorcycle comparisons aside, when equipped with bright red hands, the B.R.M. R50-TN reminds us of the classic Ferrari 360 Modena and its back window with the Italian V8 in full view. Something beautiful happens when raw power meets elegance. After making a name for itself in the past few years with gorgeous wristwatches, such as the V12-44, B.R.M. has stepped up to the next level with the R50-TN. The new timepiece has been a success in North America so far and was spotted several times at the Concours d’Elegance, last August, in Pebble Beach. As it opens a new chapter for the French manufacturer, the R50-TN foreshadows the Bi-Rotor, another masterpiece of Isolastic technology, and rumor has it that B.R.M. is about to unveil its first Tourbillon. The French is back. Keep an eye on the Reserve de Marche.

 Story by Mikael Jehanno