Richard Mille Watches: All About the Value of Luxury Watches
"Why are Richard Mille watches so expensive?" has been one of the common questions surrounding the Swiss luxury brand. There is endless interest and fascination with Richard Mille watches, and it's easy to see why. In addition to being expensive, Richard Mille timepieces are luxury watches for the rich. Many celebrities, athletes, and even royalty have their own Richard Mille timepieces to show off.
To put it another way, the tourbillon model of this brand is also quite a lot for a luxury watch brand. So, this begs the question: why are Richard Mille watches so expensive? What are the most expensive Richard Mille watches and what are the most affordable? Let's take a look at the answers to all these questions while examining the history and extensive anatomy of Richard Mille watches.
Brand: Who is Richard Miller?
Richard Miller Richard Mille started his journey studying Marketing in Besançon. After graduating, Mille started working at Finhor, a local watchmaking company, in 1974. The company was later acquired by Matra in 1981. During this time, Mille was promoted to manager. Mille manages two Matra brands, Yema and Cupillard Rième. However, at some point after that, every watchmaking job at Matra was acquired by Seiko, which led to Mille's departure from the company in 1992. From then on, he started the watchmaking department for the Mauboussin company.
Mille quickly became a shareholder in Maubossin. Soon after, however, he had a disagreement with the company, which led him to leave his position and start working for his own brand. In 1998 he spoke with his friend Dominique Guenat, who at the time was the owner of Montres Valgine. The two met in 1988 at the Compagnie Générale Horlogère (CGH) in Besançon. The relationship between the two develops from a simple professional relationship to a friendship based on similar interests. Both love cars, aviation and machinery. This led to a partnership between the two parties, intending to launch a new watch brand. Guenat and Mille did this with the support of longtime watch industry lawyer Lucien Tissot.
A year later, the pair launched a program in collaboration with Guenat S.A., Montres Valgine and APR&P (Audemars Piguet, Renaud et Papi). Over the next few years, they worked on the brand's concept, drawing inspiration from aviation, automobiles and even sailing. The innovations they came up with really shook the world. As equal partners, Mille and Guenat launch Horométrie SA. This later became the brand we know today after Richard Mille, one member of the duo who built the brand.
Why are Richard Mille watches expensive? 1. Design A Richard Mille watch is a very unique timepiece. At a glance, you can recognize Richard Mille watches anywhere in the world. Its unique design, reminiscent of a Formula 1 car, has been used as the brand's greatest inspiration from the very beginning. Their watches have an incredibly futuristic design, which means they're unlikely to look dated or outdated anytime soon. However, design does not just refer to the overall beauty of a piece. The design also mentions the way the materials are combined, and it's safe to say Richard Mille has that covered as well.
Richard Mille watches are reasonably priced for their bold and unique look, but that doesn't mean they're too heavy or bulky. In fact, Richard Mille watches are very light because of the materials they use. Also, they are very ergonomic and fit any type of wrist. The design of Richard Mille watches is very complex, which is why so much effort goes into developing and manufacturing each timepiece. People call it a sandwich design, and all three layers are curved to meet the curve of each wrist. For Richard Mille watches, you can hardly find a flat surface, making it extremely difficult to make in the first place. Plus, because of the way each component is combined, you can be sure that your Richard Mille watch is dust and water resistant. In fact, every part of the watch fits together with extreme precision – to within 100mm.
2. Materials If a watch has put a lot of effort into its design, it should be made using only the highest quality materials. We are talking about avant-garde materials that are not usually used in the watchmaking industry. Materials used by Richard Mille are typically used in the aerospace, automotive and even marine industries. This means that the materials used in Richard Mille watches are reliable and trustworthy, as they are often used in high-risk industries that require extreme precision and quality components. These materials tend to be light - as a result, Richard Mille watches tend to weigh around 40 grams on average and fit very easily on the wrist. This combination of lightweight profiles still guarantees a robust timepiece, which is one of the main reasons why Richard Mille watches are so expensive.
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Materials used in Richard Mille watches include ceramic-hardened carbon nanotubes, also known as NTPT® carbon. They also use gold fused with carbon and quartz, which they named Gold Carbon TPT®. Silicon nitride and perfluoroelastomers are also common in Richard Mille watches. In fact, the material used to forge Richard Mille timepieces is truly an alchemist's dream.
3. Action Richard Mille watches are more than sturdy, flashy futuristic looks. The internal mechanisms of Richard Mille watches are equally refined and sophisticated. If you thought the premium materials we mentioned earlier were only used for Richard Mille cases, think again, because Richard Mille applies the same principles to its movements. Good motion with high precision is not enough. It should also be as durable as the rest of the watch. Typically, a Richard Mille movement will use about 90% grade 5 titanium, 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium. These are not materials that watches typically use, but as usual Richard Mille aims to outshine the competition by changing the rules of the game.
In addition, there are some crafting techniques that only this company uses, such as Anglage and hand polishing. They also applied a satin finish to the bridges of the watch as well as the polished pivots and wheels. With great execution, without any real precision or effort, the watch can easily cost 10 times more than a watch is made of. Every Richard Mille timepiece is crafted with sophistication and quality to ensure it will last for your children and grandchildren, so you're sure to get your money's worth.
4. Scarcity Richard Mille watches are complicated and each watch takes a long time to make. That's why all their watches are valid limited editions. The company produces only about 5,000 watches a year. The brand hasn't released an exact number, but you can be sure it's a highly exclusive one. Combine that with the popularity of Richard Mille watches, which has driven up the price of Richard Mille watches, and you can be sure that only the truly rich and famous can afford these.
5. Status symbols For all the reasons above, it's easy to see how Richard Mille has earned a reputation for being a strong and distinguished brand. They are the timepieces of choice for celebrities and even royalty. With all that said, it's no wonder that Richard Mille watches are so expensive—because these aren't just watches. Above all, Richard Mille timepieces are luxury statements and status symbols for high society.