Richard Mille launched the first timepiece from his eponymous watch brand in 2001. Sixteen years later, the brand has made an indelible mark on the luxury watch industry with its avant-garde designs, its pioneering use of space-age materials, and its partnerships with some very high-profile fans and endorsers. I caught up with Richard at the Bridge, a vintage car and art collectors? event in the Hamptons for which the brand serves as a presenting sponsor (and which marked the U.S. debut of its groundbreaking RM 50-03 McLaren F1 watch), where we sat down for a brief but enlightening interview.
Richard Mille founded his brand in 2001.
WT: It?s been several years since we spoke. How in your estimation is your brand different now then when it started" RM: For me, nothing has changed. Of course, the brand is bigger, its presence in the market is greater, but we are still enjoying ourselves. I still spend a lot of time in the creation of new pieces, so I am having as much fun as ever. And I?m still working with my friends, just as it was in the beginning.
WT: One of the things that this brand has always excelled at is introducing new materials, like the graphene case of the new RM 50-03 McLaren F1 model. Why do you think it?s important for a watch brand to continue to introduce new materials into the mix"
Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren, with a case made of graphene
RM: I am not in fact obsessed with always introducing new materials, because I always want the brand to be...