Wrist-taker extraordinaire

at 50, most of us might begin pondering the idea of retirement, if not already counting down towards it. The last thing that probably comes to mind at that stage in our lives is to start a company, particularly in an industry as cutthroat and demanding as that of watchmaking. But Richard Mille, who at the ripe age of 50 did just that, is not like most of us.

After decades working for leading watch and jewellery brands in capacities ranging from marketing to production, Mille and his partner Dominique Guenat set out to create his namesake brand in 1999. It was a company that the industry and market – craving for originality, hungry for innovation and weary of the confined constructs of traditional watchmaking – were waiting for.

“I was tired of the status quo,” Mille says. “I wanted to create a new business model far removed from traditional marketing strategies; something totally original. My goal was to create a new, ultra-high-end luxury segment within the high-end watch business, and I was very eager to know what could come of it.” He set forth with the ambition of pushing the bounds of watchmaking beyond anything that existed at the time, and lay the groundwork for a new, contemporary approach to horology.

He accomplished precisely that – and with spectacular success. Not only has Mille managed to build what’s arguably the most successful independent watch brand of the 21st century, he’s also earned a respectable place within the industry, with the monikers “maverick” and “trailblazer” often attached to his name. He takes all such praise in his stride, however, saying, “I was simply presenting myself as I am in real life: ever-curious, open to new ideas and tired of the status quo. [Our watches] are actually a direct manifestation of my personality and interests.”

When the brand quietly released its first watch – the RM 001 Tourbillon with its signature tonneau case design, distinctive torque screws and an astounding sixdigit price tag – in 2001, the clients who recognised the worth and significance of this visionary product didn’t bat an eyelid.

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Now they hold an important (and very valuable) piece of horological history.

Close to two decades on, this timepiece remains the foundation on which Richard Mille’s current models are created, as the RM 001 and its successors have become a yardstick by which the brand’s watches are valued. Mille has effectively created a brand seemingly impervious to market volatility.

“At the extreme high-end market that our brand inhabits, the normal rules about pricing, availability and marketing seen in the regular watch market don’t apply,” he says. “Basically, as we continue to pursue our philosophy and provide clients with new and uncompromising timepieces, we’re insulated from the normal issues that beset other brands.”

The star power that Mille has built around the brand is also rather spectacular. A-list athletes Rafael Nadal, Felipe Massa and Bubba Watson, to name but a few, are among those considered friends. While many may view this as purely a marketing exercise – though, needless to say, it’s a brilliant one – Mille says that genuine connections exist between the brand its ambassadors. “I have a deep understanding of marketing,” he says, “but I also feel that marketing is most powerful when it’s driven by real and tangible emotions. So my only baseline expectation is that friends of the brand, our partners and all those close to us be people who truly love the watches, truly enjoy being associated with them, and wear them with pleasure every day of the week.

“I don’t believe that connections driven exclusively by a commercial process can be as powerful as those arising from real emotions,” Mille tells us. In fact, he has rather high standards when it comes to selecting his partners, looking only for people who have characteristics parallel to those of the brand’s. And what are those? Exceptional talent, intense drive to succeed, unwavering motivation and dedication to their craft and an innate sense of real quality. It’s no wonder all of Richard Mille’s ambassadors belong to the top tier in their fields.

Now 70, Mille has hardly slowed down. Last month he unveiled the

RM 62-01 Tourbillon Vibrating Alarm, the brand’s most complicated watch to date. It has watch forums buzzing, and watch connoisseurs finding out how they can get their hands on one – never mind that it’s priced at US$1.2 million.

As he continues to lead his team to aim even higher, Mille insists that “the best is yet to come”. And from the man who says he doesn’t know the meaning of the word “impossible”, one can’t even begin to imagine what to expect.