Since the launch of the Speedtail back in 2018, McLaren fans had anticipated the follow-up in the marque’s fabled “Ultimate” series of supercars – and it arrived in October with the reveal of the even more radical W1.

With its twin turbo, four-litre V8 engine married to an auxiliary electric motor, the £2m W1 produces 1,275 horsepower, hits 60mph in 2.7 seconds and tops-out at 220mph. It’s the fastest, most powerful road-going McLaren ever built. But two years before the W1 was unveiled, the design team from ultra luxury watchmaker Richard Mille was given a sneak peek of the clay model so they could get weaving on a suitably extreme watch to match it.

The two names joined forces in 2016 to create what seemed like an obvious pairing of brands dedicated to making expensive, low volume, high-tech products in their respective fields. The first fruit of the collaboration was the RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph of 2017, which was made in just 75 examples, cost just short of $1m and remains the lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph ever made. Next came the RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren of 2018, 500 of which were made to celebrate the track-focused Senna supercar, followed by the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail of 2021, made in 106 pieces to reflect the number of available Speedtails.

The latest watch, the RM 65-01 McLaren Split-Seconds Chronograph W1, has, says Richard Mille, been designed to ‘reflect the character and features of the car in terms of its shape, materials and functionality’. It’s powered by the RMAC4 split-seconds movement, the most sophisticated of the maker’s automatic chronographs that can record elapsed times down to one tenth of a second. A vertical clutch and two six-column wheels make for precise and smooth activation of the chronograph, and a “rapid winding” system means the 60-hour power reserve can be recharged by multiple pushes of the orange quartz button positioned at seven o’clock. The 600-part movement sits on car-inspired “chassis mounting rubbers” and also features Richard Mille’s “variable geometry” automatic winding rotor that automatically adjusts to the wearer’s lifestyle.

But what’s most special about the RM65-01 McLaren W1 is the case. Almost shrink-wrapped around the movement and measuring a monster 43.84mm by 49.94mm, its shape is based on a bird’s-eye view of the W1 and plays heavily on its “in and out” lines – hence an indented “double” bezel bordered by a titanium surround fixed with Richard Mille’s signature spline screws. Made from Carbon TPT, the lower bezel measures 2.30mm at its thickest and 1.70mm at its thinnest, while the upper part is just half a millimetre thick – the equivalent of five Post-it notes.

Elsewhere, automotive features abound – such as the gear-lever-like “function selector” crown which gives the option to choose between three different positions (W for “winding”, D for “date” or H for “hand-setting”). Especially designed for the watch and based on the splines of the car’s drive shafts, the crown is made from Grade 5 titanium with a rubber coating in McLaren papaya orange and a tip adorned with the McLaren “Speedmark”.  Wheel rim details also inspired the shape of the chronograph push pieces and rapid winding button, all of which are mounted on titanium frames based on the cut-outs in McLaren seats. The W1’s engine cover and ground-effect spoilers, meanwhile, are reflected in patterns seen on the papaya orange rubber strap.

The W1 will be produced in a run of 399 cars, with the first due for delivery in 2026 – but the watch will be made in an edition of 500, with the first 399 being offered to W1 buyers who have until February to claim them. After that, any that get “left behind” will join the other 101 watches and be offered for general sale, at a McLaren-worthy price of Sfr320,000, plus VAT.

richardmille.com; cars.mclaren.com