Richard Mille leverages on its close ties with the Formula One community to unveil a new collaboration timepiece with Kimi Räikkönen.
Richard Mille leverages on its close-knit ties with the Formula One community to unveil its latest timepiece in collaboration with racing legend Kimi Räikkönen
Horology and motorsport have always had a tight relationship, harking back to the 1950s when watchmakers were also instrument-makers, who produced stopwatches and chronographs to time the early automobile racing events. While this rudimentary form of timekeeping has given way to more precise measures of time as technology improved, so too has the relationship between watchmakers and racing brands evolved.
These days, however, the partnerships fulfil a more marketing-centred role. The undeniable pull of a prestigious event such as the Formula One Grand Prix has is impossible for watch marques to ignore. Each car is a vehicle for branding, and so is the wrist of every driver. Most, if not all, constructors are tied in association to a watch brand reflecting its values and missions.
Independent watchmaker Richard Mille occupies a unique standing, however, when it comes to F1. The brand, best known for its extremely shockproof, avant-garde watches made from cutting-edge materials, has partnered with not just one constructor in the championship, but three—mclaren Racing, Haas F1 and Alfa Romeo Racing. In addition, Richard Mille has worked with several prominent drivers who serve as ambassadors including Brazilian racer Felipe Massa, who has been working with the brand since 2004, former world champion Fernando Alonso, and Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean.
The brand’s ties to the world of motor racing is not surprising given founder Richard Mille’s love and
passion for all things car-related. Mille counts luminaries in the F1 world, such as Jean Todt, president of the Fédération Internationale de l’automobile and former CEO of Ferrari, as friends and has been following races since the 1960s. Mille also collects antique racing cars and has spoken of his collection as the source of inspiration for many a watch.
His brand’s constant drive to innovate—whether in developing new high-tech materials for components that push the boundaries of haute horlogerie or creating new complications that assist its wearers—makes it a name from the watch world that can relate to the high-pressure, ever-evolving technological contest that is the arena of motor racing.
Richard Mille’s most recent announcement in relation to the F1 came amid the adrenaline rush of the Singapore Grand Prix in September when it unveiled its latest timepiece, produced in collaboration with former world champion Kimi Räikkönen, who is now the lead driver for Alfa Romeo Racing. Held at Capella Singapore, the global launch of the RM 50-04