5 Interesting Things About Richard Mille

In the increasingly crowded world of watchmaking, Richard Mille easily stands out as the vibrant, unique and innovative watchmaker. This is a brand known for featuring the latest technology, exquisite hand-finishing and internal mechanics-exposing construction. Known for invoking racing cars and aeronautics as sources of inspiration in their designs, Richard Mille’s timepieces are easily recognizable.

Here are 5 little known facts about Richard Mille:

1. Richard Mille the man

Richard Mille, who hails from southern France, founded Richard Mille. Before founding the brand, he was an export manager with Finhor. Eventually, he rose to the position of Director of the firm’s numerous watchmaking brands when the Matra Group acquired Finhor.

In 1990, he became CEO of Mauboussin’s watchmaking division. There, he also took the position of Head of Jewellery and was deeply involved in the design process. It was here that his eye for design was combined with his love for mechanics, thus birthing Richard Mille the brand.

2. 2001 was the year

In 2001, Richard Mille finally took the plunge and released the RM 001, a watch built with the support of renowned Swiss movement manufacturers and receptive retailers.

From the beginning, Richard Mille was focused on extremely technical watchmaking. He envisioned a renaissance in the watchmaking codes and harboured a strong appetite for challenges. Eventually, Richard Mille grew to be associated with the sporting world, a tradition that continues with many prominent athletes today.

3. Richard Mille collaborates with their ambassadors in the design process

In a bid to revolutionize the traditional brand ambassador relationship, Richard Mille involves each ambassador in the design process. Because of the extreme conditions that most athletes operate in, wearing the watches during their competition subjects them to crucial stress tests. Their stable of athletes includes Felipe Massa, Rafael Nadal and Yohan Blake. From travelling at more than 300km/h in a Formula One racecar to constant motion from power serves in tennis and even intense sprints in track events, Richard Mille timepieces have seen much action.

4. Firsts in the watchmaking industry

The RM 002 Tourbillon featured a titanium movement baseplate combined with a torque and function indicator. In 2005, the RM 003-V2, RM004-V2 and RM 008-V2 featured the use of a carbon nanofiber baseplate. The use of these complex materials were firsts in the watchmaking industry.

5. The world’s lightest mechanical Tourbillon Watch

The distinction of making the world’s lightest mechanical tourbillon watch belongs to Richard Mille. Richard Mille and Felipe Massa jointly designed the RM 006 Tourbillon in 2004.

The RM 006 featured a carbon nanofiber baseplate. This greatly reduced its weight and cemented its title as the lightest mechanical tourbillon watch of 2004.

The Hour Glass is a proud retailer of Richard Mille Timepieces

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