Article: Watches From The Future: Richard Mille Timepieces
Watches From The Future: Richard Mille Timepieces
Innovation is what watch enthusiasts look out for in a watch. These innovations may include new materials, movements, or features. However, only a few reputable luxury watch brands are innovative and futuristic. Among them is Richard Mille, the young yet extremely successful and coveted Swiss luxury watch manufacturer.
Although watch enthusiasts know who Richard Mille is, it is better yet to look at his life briefly.
Richard Mille:
Richard Mille used to work at Finhor/Matra from the 1970s till the early 90s. He then joined Mauboussin as a leader. At the beginning of the 20th century, Richard Mille began his own luxury watchmaking company, the company we all cherish today, the company that is ever so present at the top of luxury watchmaking. "For a long time, I wished to launch my own brand. I wanted to create a new business model, far removed from traditional marketing strategies, something totally original. My goal was to create a new, ultra-high-end luxury segment within the high-end watch business, and I was very eager to know what could come of it", said Richard Mille.
Since then, it has gone all uphill for Richard Mille.
A Vision Like No Other
When Richard Mille decided to create his own brand at the age of fifty, he envisioned pushing watchmaking beyond anything that existed during that time and introducing a new innovative, and contemporary approach to horology and watchmaking. He planned to make the watch of his dreams with little to no regard for the production costs.
When he finally released his first ever watch in 2001, it proved to be a great success.
A Formula That Led To Greatness
Richard Mille launched his first watch, the RM 001 Tourbillon, in 2001. He used a formula that brought him great success; no compromise in quality. As his timepieces are always of top, top quality and made out of Avante-Garde materials, his watches are always a success.
Innovation After Innovation
Innovation is a word synonymous with the brand Richard Mille. Almost every watch that comes out of the brand has something innovative, new, and unique while still being high quality. This is no easy feat, especially considering Richard Mille's short time in the luxury watchmaking industry. Always ahead of its time, below are some of the innovations from Richard Mille.
HIS FIRST WATCH EVER WAS A BOMBSHELL
Richard Mille's first watch, the RM 001, came to the luxury watch market like a bombshell. It earned success and recognition overnight. His first watch was innovative as it featured a tourbillon and the world's first watch torque indicator. Although only 17 pieces were produced and were priced really highly at $159,500, they all sold out within a day. This was an incredible achievement, especially for a company that had no history.
The now famous dominant tonneau-shaped case, which has become iconic, was already on the first Richard Mille watch, the RM 001.
A RACING MACHINE ON THE WRIST
"A Racing Machine On The Wrist" was the brand's motto. One might think that Richard Mille's first love was the art of watchmaking. However, racing was love at first sight for Richard Mille.
In fact, with the RM 001, his first watch ever, Richard Mille tried to design the tourbillon cage in a way that it looked and functioned like the front suspension rods of a Formula 1 car.
Some of the advanced and high-quality materials used to produce these Richard Mille watches are highly used in the world of autosports, aircraft, sailing, tennis, etc.
The RM 27-04, designed for Rafael Nadal, had a special cable suspension mechanism developed especially for this watch. Another remarkable fact about this watch is its ability to withstand accelerations of over 12,000g.
THE WORLD'S THINNEST WATCH
This year, in July, Richard Mille came with something new yet again, something that made headlines all over the world and broke records, the RM-UP 01 Ferrari. This watch, 1.75 mm thick, dubbed as the world's thinnest watch, broke Bulgari's previously held record of 1.80 mm thick Octo Finissimo Ultra. This was an insane achievement from Richard Mille.
Conclusion:
This type of success and the achievements Richard Mille has accomplished in just over two decades is excellent. He has changed the way people look at watches and has gained a strong fanbase as well as a reputation like no other. Every year watch enthusiasts expect Richard Mille to come up with something excellent, and he does. All of these innovations he has provided the world of luxury watchmaking with is not an easy feat.
