IN THE FAST LANE

ThePeak zooms in on the latest creation – and former innovations – arising from Richard Mille’s wide-ranging automotive partnerships.

A closer peek at the first timepiece from Richard Mille and McLaren Automotive.

When Richard Mille is ready to start his workday, he heads towards the garage of his 18th-century French chateau in Brittany. Not to a car, so he can drive to the office, but to an area that overlooks his garage, which houses his beloved fleet of classic cars. It’s a collection of historically important models, including Bruce McLaren’s first Formula One car and a Ferrari 312B that won the 1970 Italian Grand Prix.

With its founder’s well-documented passion for automobiles, it is hardly surprising that ultra-premium watch brand Richard Mille has been closely linked to motor sports from the start. The brand, which began life in 1999, has been the main sponsor and official timekeeper of the Le Mans Classic, since the vintage car race kicked off in 2002. Also, its first celebrity ambassador was F1 driver Felipe Massa, who has also been a test driver for the brand since 2004, with its watches strapped to his wrist during F1 races as a high-speed, real-life testing ground for Richard Mille’s tough timepieces.

Today, of course, Richard Mille’s stable of motoring partners includes McLaren and the Lotus F1 racing team, and race drivers such as Jenson Button and Sebastien Loeb. It is also part of wide-reaching events such as Formula E (as a sponsor of the Renault E.dams team) and the women’s race Rallye des Princesses in France. A lot more than just exercises in marketing, several of those collaborations have yielded some of the watch company’s most sought-after timepieces – including, most recently, the new, ultra-sporty RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, alongside McLaren’s latest Ultimate Series hypercar, the P15 Senna ( both novelties are shown on these pages). Turn the page for more on this snazzy timepiece, along with Richard Mille’s other high-octane partnerships.