Thomas Roussel

Richard Mille’s close links to the sports world is well-known, with golfer Bubba Watson and tennis player Rafael Nadal among the athletes in the brand’s stable of ambassadors. But the watchmaker also boasts strong ties with the contemporary art world (it has partnerships with the Frieze art fair, and the Palais de Tokyo art institution in Paris) as well as music and entertainment. In June, Richard Mille welcomed Thomas Roussel to the family. The French composer and musician brings together an impressive background in classical music with a passion for electronic music, combining both into his compositions, which often feature orchestras and ensembles of strings and percussion, as well as synthesisers, and mixed using computer software. This aligns with the brand’s watchmaking codes. “We share the same notion of communicating passion and emotion, and the same desire to carve out new creative pathways,” enthused Roussel.

When I last visited the Patek Philippe manufacture in 2018 at Plan-les-ouates in Geneva, the watchmaker was constructing an extension to its building. Two years later, the facility is complete and ready to take on a heavier load of design and production. To mark the occasion, Patek Philippe is releasing 1,000 pieces of the commemorative Ref 6007A-001 Calatrava.its greyblue colour palette and the carbon-style motif in the centre of the dial have captured my heart.