Titanium aluminide
Richard Mille RM 021 Tourbillon "Aérodyne"
using titanium aluminide in the honeycomb structure of the mainplate
© Richard Mille
Titanium aluminide is a watch material.
Titanium aluminide is an innovative alloy of titanium and aluminum, which is stronger and more rigid, but at the same time considerably lighter than conventional metal materials. Since such materials withstand temperatures of up to a thousand degrees Celsius and are extremely rigid, they are ideal for aircrafts. At first they were explored by NASA.
Richard Mille is known for introducing latest materials in watchmaking. So for the first time in watchmaking history, he used titanium aluminide with his 2009 presented model Richard Mille RM 021 Tourbillon "Aérodyne" to produce the honeycomb structure of the mainplate.