Richard Mille RM 36-01 G-Sensor Sebastien Loeb Limited Edition Watch

At last year’s SIHH, Richard Mille presented to the world the RM 036, a 15-pieces limited edition of what was their first wristwatch equipped with a G-force sensor. With the RM 36-01, a new piece for the 2014 SIHH, the brand reiterates the G-sensor technology with some modifications in both its construction and its presentation specially made for their rally car driving brand ambassador. And although the "RM 36-01 Competition G-Sensor Sebastien Loeb" makes little sense as a name, it does rather well at describing some of the key features of this 47.70 millimeter lightweight monstrosity. This is also Loeb's debut watch being a Richard Mille ambassador. Previously he was with Marvin watches and has a Loeb chronograph made with them.

To begin with the most outlandish of them all, the G-force sensor has been slightly redesigned. While its needle read-out at 12 o’clock still does not offer an exact numerical indication for the extent of G-forces the wearer experienced, on its scale it is now printed to measure up to 6 G’s. To give you an idea, that is just about the maximum that a Formula-1 car generates in the fastest, nastiest of corners and you really need some of the best and latest supercars on the market to get near that. A more significant update is one that implies that the G-sensor as it were was not “in-your-face” enough – literally. To change that for the better, the reset pusher, previously located on the case at the 9 o’clock position, is relocated to the very center of the dial, protruding from the sapphire crystal. If anything, presumably it should make resetting easier and faster in demanding situations such as not crashing your supercar while fiddling with your watch trying to impress your passengers. Finally, the sensor, composed of over 50 parts and measuring 17mm in diameter, can now be manually rotated to align with the direction of one’s movements by turning the brown ceramic bezel. This allows for the specific and more accurate measurement of different movements, such as cornering, accelerating and braking.