Richard Mille is unlike almost any other watch brand in the world.
The watches they produce stand out on red carpets, on stage, and on the sports field due to their unique case shapes, innovative materials, and mechanisms. But it's not just the watches that make this independent brand special. What has intrigued me about this brand recently, more than their use of high-tech materials or modern aesthetics, is how they engage with their clients and partners. Although these watches are hard to get due to their scarcity, we don't hear complaints about other brands that potential customers have to jump through hoops to get the desired watches - they are simply limited in production and selective in cost.
To answer my questions about how Richard Mille manages to work so positively with its clients, I was invited on a trip described as a "ski clinic" in the luxurious surroundings of Courchevel 1850. To be fair, I'm new to skiing, but when given the chance to interact with numerous athletes and world champions in various disciplines such as skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, and free diving, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Besides not breaking any bones on the slopes a week before the Watches & Wonders exhibition, my main goal on this trip was to find out what exactly makes Richard Mille so special in the eyes of its clients. Considering that the brand's product pricing is so high, to become its client, there must be a reason why some collectors are so devoted to it, aside from the product itself. Before boarding my flight, I found out that technically this trip occurs twice: once for the press and then immediately after for clients. While we, the press, are relatively familiar with the idea of a press trip to get acquainted with a brand or a specific product, the concept of holding a similar trip exclusively for clients, where they are given access to senior members of the Richard Mille team and brand partners, is new to me.
But for Richard Mille, this is standard practice. In a conversation with the brand's marketing director, Tim Malachard, he explained: “We try to invite all our clients to such events. It doesn't matter if they bought their first watch from us or have been buying from us for 20 years. We want to show them the same level of trust they've shown us.” Malachard even recounted a story about a client he remembers who took out a loan to buy their first Mille watch. He was touched that this person wanted the watch so badly that they were willing to pay off the loan over half a century just to get it, and so Malachard wanted to ensure that this client and all others feel that their trust is reciprocated.
Another aspect of Richard Mille's activities that I wasn't aware of until this trip is how deeply they are connected with snow sports. I've seen them in Formula 1, on Nadal's wrist winning Grand Slam tournaments, and on golf courses, but I never associated them with the world of skiing and winter sports in general. During this trip, I, along with several other journalists, had the opportunity to speak with Ester Ledecka, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Alexis Pinturault, and Arnaud Jerald, who have 12 world championships and seven gold medals between them. An impressive achievement by any measure, but what does Richard Mille have to do with winter sports, and why gather all these talented people, journalists, and clients together at an altitude of nearly two kilometers above sea level?
The first half of this question is easy to answer, as the brand constantly tests its watches under the most extreme conditions. This means Ledecka knocks down slalom poles with the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport at speeds over 80 miles per hour, or Jerald takes his RM 032 to a record depth of 122 meters on a single breath. As Formula 1 drivers wore Mille watches during races (until the FIA banned them from doing so), and Nadal always strapped an RM Tourbillon to his wrist before stepping onto the court, so too are all “friends of the brand” and “brand partners” of Richard Mille required to wear their watches during competitions. And often, they do so with pleasure.
While we can see these top athletes on television, Richard Mille wants us and its clients to see them in action using these watches, but without disrupting the athletes' busy schedules. As Amanda Mille, director of brand and partner relations and Richard's daughter, explained, “we don't impose on any of our partners while they're competing. Instead, we like to gather them, our clients, and the press together outside of competitions, in places like this, where everyone is much more comfortable, and the quality of time spent together is much higher.” And it certainly was. I have conducted countless interviews at press junkets where you have 20 minutes to speak with the interviewee while the next journalist waits at the door behind you, desperately trying to get in and start their interview. Here, the pressure was off, as we had three days to interact with these guys, whether over a good meal or a drink, or on the slopes, conversations were constant and freely flowed between everyone present.
It was this free conversation and relaxed atmosphere that made this trip special for me. During our talks, the brand partners didn't force us to say certain phrases about the watches. Moreover, in conversation with Thingnes Bø, he still keeps in touch with some clients he met on this trip in the past. An incredible advantage - the opportunity to befriend a world-class athlete.
What Malachard told me during the trip might have seemed incredibly funny if it had been said anywhere else, but here it sounded appropriate: everyone invited on these trips is treated like family while they're here. We've all heard about toxic bosses claiming that the work culture in their company is like a family, but here it sounded sincere, and this feeling was transmitted from the very top of the company down to the newest clients. Stories about how Richard Mille himself attended trips in the past and was so personal with everyone that he built connections with those he invited because that's what he wants from those who have shown him and his product such high trust.
One of the main memories I'll take from this trip will be the lunch we had on the slopes, where brand representatives, brand partners, and press representatives who had just spent the morning battling a snowstorm at the top of the mountain gathered. During this lunch, there were no mentions of supply, facts, or figures, everyone just socialized as if they had known each other for many years. It was evident that even the brand partners loved and appreciated this time. None of them were pulled away from competitions, and they even had the opportunity to bring their families, so it was clear they were completely relaxed here and felt no pressure to perform for us or the brand. Seeing athletes of this caliber in such a state is a rarity. Usually, we gain access to them only during competitions or during a tense press conference.
Malachard shared with me a story about an event the brand held with its newly acquired partner Kimi Räikkönen. “It's known that he doesn't like giving interviews. At the time, we released a limited edition with his team, and his press secretary expected the usual press meeting. But instead, we delved into the archives, pulled out all the shots of him growing up in karting, and presented this exhibition, which touched him deeply. As we all know, he's quite a candid person, but afterward, he came up to me and said, 'It's so nice to be with you guys, you're so different from other brands.' And in the end, he stayed with everyone, took selfies, and all that. In short, he really enjoyed it.” But you don't have to be the Iceman to appreciate Richard Mille's hospitality. Obviously, they treat all their partners equally.
But how does the sixth-largest watch brand in the world (according to Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult) manage to maintain such personal connections with all its clients, not only inviting them to such events but also building relationships? It all starts at the point of sale. Richard Mille now has 40 global boutiques and was one of the first brands to embrace verticalization, moving away from all multi-brand and third-party retailers. This means that anyone selling you a Richard Mille watch is an employee of the brand and has undergone training.
This allows the brand to directly connect with every person who buys a watch from them and establish a connection that can be used to enhance brand loyalty. This is just the beginning of the brand's client strategy, and I witnessed firsthand that the generosity they are willing to show to those who purchase their watches seems to know no bounds. While the brand strives to place watches in the hands of those who will wear and love them for a long time, it also understands that people have to part with their watches for various reasons. Therefore, in all markets, such as Ninety in Geneva and London, the brand has its own boutiques for pre-owned watches, where pre-owned Milles can find a new home while remaining within the brand's ecosystem.
All of this paints a picture that unfolded for me over three days in Courchevel. Richard Mille does nothing halfway, especially when it comes to personal relationships, and I don't use the word “personal” lightly, as business here seems to have very little to do with business. It all boils down to that human factor that we journalists so often romanticize when discussing watchmaking, but Richard Mille has brought it to life.