Established in 2002 as a biennial celebration of racing cars that made history in the greatest endurance race of all time, the 12th edition of Le Mans Classic will run from July 3 through 6, 2025. The legendary 13.6 km Sarthe circuit will host impressive race cars dating from 1923 through the 2000s, about 750 of which are competiting. Like the previous 11 editions, the cars compete over the course of 24 hours in six different categories (“grids”), one for each of the major eras of automobiles having taken part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1923 through to 1981. The support races make for another high-octane animation.
→ 12th edition of Le Mans Classic from July 3 to 6
→ A new limited edition of 150 timepieces, the RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic
While around 1 000 drivers vie for race titles, the grounds and village of Le Mans will be awash with more than 9 000 classic cars on exhibit from around 80 different brands and more than 200 automobile clubs as well as private collectors. In the first edition, the Le Mans Classic welcomed around 30 000 spectators, while in 2023 it received more than 235 000, successfully continuing to expand.
Richard Mille: a shared passion on the track
Since 2002, Richard Mille, as a principal partner of the event, has consistently shared the same values of celebrating mechanical beauty, honouring the past and demonstrating unwavering commitment – even on the track, with members of the brand taking the wheel themselves.
Following in the tracks of Richard Mille and Dominique Guenat, Maxime son of the latter follows in the footsteps of the founders by competing in historic car racing of the highest level. Proof that the automotive inspiration of the brand is also carried through the next generation both on and off track.
The RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic: accelerated performance
Richard Mille has specifically developed timepieces in honour of every edition of Le Mans Classic since 2008, culminating in all in ten special-edition watches, each incorporating in Le Mans Classic’s corporate colours of green and white. The 150-piece limited-edition RM 30-01 celebrates the 12th edition of Le Mans Classic in 2025 and is no different in this respect with its case consisting of titanium bezels sandwiching a Green Quartz TPT® caseband. Green and orange interior details, a checkered flag framing the oversized date window, the famous Le Mans Classic logo on the sapphire crystal caseback and a racing-vented green rubber strap complete this new piece paying homage to an event that is so dear to the brand.
The technical details of this timepiece, developed with the same precision as a racing car is constructed, saw the Calibre RMAR2 modified to accommodate a new 24-hour counter whose “16” numeral is shaded in green in reference to the start time of the legendary endurance race (which is also sometimes named the “green flag”). This addition lends a new look to the watch dial, the reinterpreted skeletonised dial design evoking the outlines of a racing circuit. Through titanium bridges and the skeletonised baseplate, its course is pursued by the 55-hour power reserve display. The clutch engagement indicator (at 11 o’clock) shows the owner whether the rotor is operating in the winding phase (on) or is disengaged (off), while the function selector (3 o’clock) aids the wearer in choosing a crown setting.
The RM 30-01 Le Mans Classic proudly wears its racing spirit inside and out, just like the classic racing event honours the centenary old iconic race.
