zelin0802 / June 22, 2022

How does a company that was obscure just 20 years ago find itself brushing aside brands worth six or seven figures?

We might see it as one of watchmaking’s quickest success stories at the turn of the millennium. Twenty years ago, a completely unknown name, unusual top replica watch styles, high prices, disruptive marketing and revolutionary materials came together to create a business that made sense in both watchmaking and marketing , which requires a lot of courage.

Moving beyond the media hype to build a lasting watchmaking business can be a challenge for any up-and-coming brand. It’s hard to bring historic names like Czapek, Louis Moinet or Charles Girardier back to life. It’s harder to start from scratch – having to literally justify everything, including your own, without the benefits of past outstanding surnames.

Not for the faint of heart
Richard Mille fake has succeeded in doing this, taking an unusual approach and taking the watchmaking world by storm with unforeseen technology, design and radical spirit. It’s worth recalling that twenty years ago, when a magazine received an ad for Richard Mille, the advertising department would always call the brand to point out the price next to the picture of the watch, which was unthinkable at the time. This is naturally considered a bug. Not like this: it’s just Richard Mille’s way of brazenly declaring that buying a piece from him will cost you at least €100,000. This is how he left his mark.

lighter means stronger
The second fundamental disruption has to do with the weight of the watch. Until the early 2000s, the strength of a watch was proportional to its weight. The heavier and more imposing it is, the more solid and solid it exudes. Richard Mille strives to achieve the exact opposite: minimum weight and maximum strength. It’s a real paradigm shift that overturns an almost instinctive belief by proving that a 60-gram tourbillon is not as simple as a 300-gram tourbillon – it’s actually more powerful.

material competition
The third fundamental disruption is closely related to the first and involves innovative materials. At a time when watchmaking embraced silicon hairsprings wholeheartedly (at the expense of some extremely expensive fundamental research by Patek Philippe, Athens and the Swatch Group), Richard Mille focused primarily on the materials used to make the case: titanium, carbon steel , TPT quartz and graphene. All of these were previously unknown in the industry, or at best rarely used. This opened up a huge marketing opportunity for Richard Mille, as well as an opportunity to set prices that defied all reason. It’s a risky move – but it’s just a ticket for collectors who have only a little reason to consider when they decide to buy from this completely unknown young brand.

Rugged Haute Horlogerie
A fourth fundamental subversion has to do with movement design: specifically, the integration of previously considered highly fragile complications, such as tourbillons, into sports watches designed to withstand any and all shocks, especially any acceleration . Twenty years ago, in an unforgettable moment at his retailer, Richard Mille angrily threw one of his own tourbillons to the ground to prove it could withstand absolutely anything. The retailer in question picked up the watch in disbelief – finding that Miller was right.

very close circle of friends
The fifth and final fundamental disruption has to do with marketing. Richard Mille didn’t just invite athletes to wear his watches; he involved them in the design process. Rafael Nadal has been known to break countless tourbillons before the watchmaker managed to come up with a piece that was nearly indestructible. Pablo Mac Donough is another such athlete. What’s more, these partnerships are not limited to working on the technical aspects of each model: Richard Mille is also notable for the long-standing personal relationship he maintains with each ambassador. While he occasionally seeks out some partners in a more opportunistic way, most of them are indeed part of his close circle of friends – thus explaining why the brand has been particularly active in motorsport, and for decades, Richard Richard Mille has been involved. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the company’s new Paris base is near the headquarters of the French Motorsport Federation.

Today, the brand has become an important part of the haute horlogerie industry. Richard Mille and his lifelong friend and colleague Dominique Guénat own the same stake. One in Paris, the other in Les Breleux; one oversees management and marketing, the other a wizard of sophistication and materials: they are inseparable.

Their descendants seem to be equally inseparable. The two founding partners are now 70, which is the age at which they announced they would start handing over things; in fact, that’s what they’re doing now. Their three children are now leading the brand’s operations, working together in Switzerland and France, just like their parents, with Mille’s backing – and still keeping a close eye – eyes. luxury Richard Mille and Dominique Guénat may be leaving their management positions, but they remain on the board for now.