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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\nLovers of ultra-high-end luxury have been raving about Richard Mille watches for years. The brand makes exclusive timepieces with unique futuristic designs and an extremely high price tag. Although a relatively young Swiss watchmaker, Richard Mille is gradually making its mark in an industry where century-old companies rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might want to look at a Richard Mille watch<\/a> if you\u2019re looking for unique timepieces characterized by superb craftsmanship, innovation, and quirky, eccentric designs. You\u2019ve probably spotted this watch on the wrists of celebrities, renowned sportsmen, and young A-listers in various fields, confirming the brand\u2019s status as a trendy timepiece with a modern appeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a watch enthusiast interested in Richard Mille watches, you\u2019ll appreciate the hype behind the brand even more when you learn some valuable inside information about the history<\/a>, design, and production of the watchmaker\u2019s unique timepieces. In this post, we\u2019ll explore some of the most important things to know about Richard Mille Watches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The aptly named RM 001 Tourbillon is the first Richard Mille watch. This timepiece hit the market in 2001, meaning the brand has only been in operation for a little over two decades. However, the Richard Mille brand is the brainchild of an industry veteran whose experience goes all the way back to the 1970s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Mille, the founder of this timepiece brand, started his career in horology in 1994, working for a French watchmaker called Finhor. He rose to a managerial position in this company\u2019s Chronometer division after it was acquired by Matra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a very successful decade-long stint at Finhor, Richard Mille moved on to work with the watch firm Mauboussin, where he was a shareholder. He helped in setting up the jewelry brand\u2019s luxury watch business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Driven by a desire to push the boundaries of luxury watchmaking and create unique timepieces different from anything that existed at the time, Richard Mille decided to develop his own watchmaking brand. He presented the idea for his company to his friend Dominique Guenat, the owner of the Swiss watchmaking company Montres Valgine, with Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet as a shareholder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Richard Mille RM 001 was launched in 2001 after two years of development. It was a truly modern luxurious timepiece with a distinctive tonneau case and torque screws. Despite the quirky appearance of this watch, its elegance was obvious, and soon enough, it launched the Richard Mille brand into the limelight as a leading innovator in the luxury watch industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The number one secret behind the success of any watch manufacturer is its production process. Mechanical watches are made up of several tiny components that must be machined to absolute precision to operate accurately. Achieving this requires a level of knowledge and technical expertise that can only be acquired through years of experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is true for Richard Mille as well. While the company has developed its in-house capabilities to handle most of its production, Richard Mille also relies on a network of partners and suppliers to produce parts of its watches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Mille\u2019s partnership with Dominique Guenat\u2019s company, Montres Valgine (GMV), has been particularly instrumental to the watchmaker\u2019s production process. This partnership was valuable for the young company because it allowed it to leverage over a century of production experience and technical expertise of the Montres Valgine company. In the early years of its operation, the Swiss-based watch manufacturer handled the production of Richard Mille timepieces in its facility located in the Les Breuleux region in Switzerland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Design and development, which was a major part of Richard Mille\u2019s production process, were carried out in the watchmaker\u2019s old 1950s building in Les Breuleux. At the same time, the assembly and quality control were performed in a separate building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By 2013, Richard Mille had already moved up to 80% of its production process in-house. This was made possible by the brand\u2019s acquisition of a 90% stake in Prototypes Artisanals SA (also known as ProArt). With this move, the components of Richard Mille watches, including the case, baseplates, bridges, screens, and wheels, are now produced in ProArt\u2019s purpose-built 3,000 m\u00b2 facility in Les Breuleux, which belongs to the Richard Mille group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite moving most of its production in-house, Richard Mille still enlists the services of other renowned names in the industry for the production of components for its watches. The company likes to mirror the production principles used by race car manufacturers or aeronautics companies, where many specialists handle different parts and components. This allows them to leverage the experience of these specialists to get the best output. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Guenat SA Montres Valgine continues to handle the conception and assembly of Richard Mille watches. ProArt Manufactures the components, while VMDH (Vital Morel D\u00e9calque Horlog\u00e8re), which is also a part of the Richard Mille group, is in charge of decoration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When buying a Richard Mille watch, one thing that stands out right away is their bold and unique designs. Even people with limited knowledge of luxury horology can instantly recognize Richard Mille watches because of their distinctive (and very unusual design). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of the typical round or rectangular shape of conventional watches, the Richard Mille brand went for a unique tonneau-shaped casing. The case, which is made up of three curved decks, is incredibly difficult to reproduce, which is part of what makes Richard Mille watches so outstanding. Machining such an intricate case (usually from a single block of material) may take hundreds of operations, requiring several months to complete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Mille watches also feature skeletonized dials designed to provide a glimpse into the intricate workings of the sophisticated movement that powers the watch. Richard Mille achieves all of these while keeping the timepiece as lightweight and ergonomic as possible to ensure optimal comfort and wearability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Innovative design isn\u2019t the only area where Richard Mille excels. The watchmaker also creates some of the highest quality watches you\u2019ll find in the market today. It took Richard Mille years of research and testing to create watches that would meet the demands of strength and comfort that he wanted his timepieces to embody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once perfected, Richard Mille took great pride in demonstrating just how robust these watches are. When questioned about just how robust his tourbillon was, Mille was said to have taken off his watch from his wrist and thrown it across the room just to prove how durable the timepiece was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The curved decks of Richard Mille watches are designed to fit together to a precision of 100ths of a millimeter. This creates a seal to protect the interior of the watch from moisture and dust. The casing, movement, and other components of Richard Mille watches are handcrafted to precision using the finest materials possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping with Richard Mille\u2019s goals of pushing the boundaries of modern watchmaking, the Swiss watchmaker takes inspiration from the automotive industry in the design of its watches and the choice of materials. Richard Mille doesn\u2019t just sponsor motorsports<\/a> events for the hype and optics. The brand watches are built with the materials used in making Formula 1 cars, Yachts, and even airplanes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Mille is one of the few watchmakers using unique alloys like TitaCarb (a mix of titanium and carbon) and TPT quartz. To achieve this, the watchmaker invests millions of Swiss Francs in the research and development stage of its production process with the goal of producing ingenious materials to give its timepieces unique physical attributes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how much does such an intricate piece of Engineering cost? Everyone knows that Richard Mille watches don\u2019t come cheap. This explains why they have been nicknamed the \u2018billionaire\u2019s handshake.\u2019The watchmaker prides itself in being an ultra-high-end luxury brand with a price tag that makes it accessible only to exceptionally wealthy individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA Brief History of Richard Mille Watches <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who Makes Richard Mille Watches?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Elaborate Design of Richard Mille Watches <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Quality of Richard Mille Timepieces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is The Average Price Of A Richard Mille Watch?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n