Richard Mille expands its factory

Richard Mille is a brand that over almost two decades has managed to establish itself worldwide and is unequalled in the industry due to its timepieces that are so very specific, each more astounding than the next, and instantly recognisable. They are all equipped with advanced technology and materials borrowed from the worlds of automotive, aeronautics and surgery. They embody an approach to watchmaking that is also unusual, whereby the functions of a watch dictate its shape. The design is therefore inspired by the “engines” housed inside the models. The imposing stature of the watches is inversely proportional to their peerless lightness. The RM 27-01 Rafael Nadal, at just 18.83 grams, can claim to be the lightest in the world.

While the Richard Mille currently represents a whole group of companies, such has not always been the case. The watchmaking company was founded in 1999 as a result of the friendship between Dominique Guenat and Richard Mille. At the time, Dominique Guenat was running Guenat SA Montres Valgine (GMV) in Les Breuleux. A family business founded in 1900, GMV marketed its own watches until 1986. It then turned to the private label business. Meanwhile, Richard Mille, then director of Mauboussin’s Watchmaking division, nurtured the hope of one day launching his own brand. In 1999, he therefore suggested to his long-time friend Dominique that they launch into the adventure together. The first watch – the RM 001 Tourbillon – was presented at Baselworld two years later. The tonneau (barrel) shape, now closely associated with the Maison, was the style signature of this first opus.

The two friends’ shared passion for cars, aeronautics and mechanics set the tone for the long list of timepieces that followed, in which the most unusual materials brought added value to the timepieces. These extraordinary timepieces soon found buyers, watch aficionados looking for something new and well aware of the miniaturised high-tech marvels they were being offered.

Due to their sheer volume, Richard Mille models were initially aimed mostly at men. Nonetheless, Richard Mille has not neglected women and in 2005 launched the RM 007 Automatic Ladies’ Watch equipped with a skeleton movement offering a 38-hour power reserve: a successful exercise featuring a skilful balance between performance and design. Other models have followed, such as the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur with a magnolia surrounding the tourbillon and opening every five minutes or on demand, revealing the watch mechanism which rises 1mm when the flower is in full bloom and thus revealed in all its splendour.

Right from the outset, the company moved into the premises of Guenat SA Montres Valgine. Despite an extension added in 2007, it soon began to feel cramped. The opportunity for further expansion arose in 2013, on a site not far from the main headquarters. ProArt I, an industrial building offering some 3,000sqm, rose from the ground amid fir trees and pastures. It is dedicated to the construction of cases and certain watch components (plates, bridges, screws, wheels, etc.).

The company’s rapid but controlled growth – 10 to 15% in recent years – has pushed the group to expand further. At the end of 2017, the foundations of ProArt II were laid and employees moved into the new premises in the spring of 2019. The construction is entirely in harmony with the idyllic landscape that surrounds it: heating ensured by heat pumps, geothermal probes and solar panels; high-performance LED lighting and large bay windows offering an unobstructed view of the verdant scenery of the Franches Montagnes. This new 2,500sqm entity mainly houses the various technical offices, research and development, a watchmaking laboratory performing the various tests validating the reliability of watches, polishing, case assembly and decoration, as well as various controls. Entirely laid out and furnished by Atelier Oï, an architecture and design office located in La Neuveville, the first floor features various common areas – a lounge, cafeteria, corridors – graced with warm and soft colours.

Whether in production, polishing, movement and timepiece assembly workshops or in control offices, rigorous discipline is required. Each human link involved in the process of creating a Richard Mille watch is aware that the quality of its work will have an impact on the end result, in terms of both its timekeeping precision and its appearance.

Inspiration
Since the brand’s creation, Richard Mille has drawn inspiration mainly from the world of motor racing. Studies on impact resistance, reduction of friction, use of the same high-performance materials... Such are the fundamental criteria governing the making of an RM timepiece. Aeronautics and precision surgery have led the brand to use materials previously unknown in the watchmaking world, such as Carbon TPT, Quartz TPT, Graph TPT, Titanium grade 5, titanium carbide, titanium-aluminium alloy (TiAl), ceramic, sapphire, polymer injected with carbon nanotubes, etc.

Boutique network
In 2019, Richard Mille sold some 5,000 watches, representing an overall turnover of CHF 360 million, mainly through the company’s own boutiques, of which there are 41 to date. These spaces are as surprising as the timepieces presented there. As soon as they enter, visitors are immersed in the brand universe. For example, in the heart of the recently reopened flagship store in London, customers can discover a monumental structure representing the RM 008 Tourbillon Chronograph laser-engraved on a triple glass panel. This creation weighs more than 450 kilos.

The niche market represented by these 5,000 watches is skilfully spread around the world, with about 30% reserved for Europe and the Middle East, 30% for the Americas, 30% for Asia and the remaining 10% for Japan.

Richard Mille Group
While the timepieces bear the name Richard Mille, a whole group of companies is involved in the design and distribution of Richard Mille watches: Horométrie SA, which handles and after-sales service; Guenat SA Montres Valgine (administration, design and product development, T0 to T3); the two ProArt entities; VDMH in La Chaux-de-Fonds, specialising in transfer printing and watch decoration; and Editions Cercle d’Art, in Paris, which prints the various documents and books dedicated to the brand. Some 190 people work for this set of companies.

The next generation
While Richard Mille and Dominique Guenat are still very active in the group, they are nonetheless preparing the next generation. Cécile Guenat, artistic director of the company’s women’s collections, has already created the Talisman collection – RM 71-01 Talisman Automatic Tourbillon – a true anthem to femininity, launched in 2018. And in spring 2019, at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the Bonbon collection, also born of this designer’s imagination, offered visitors and brand devotees a range of “sweet treats” for the wrist. Amanda Mille Bey is in charge of the company’s partners, ambassadors and VIP customers, while her brother Alexandre serves as sales director.

November 21, 2019