Founded in 2001 by Richard Mille and his close friend Dominique Guenat, owner of Guenat SA Montres Valgine, the Swiss watch company Richard Mille has become a dominant player in the watch industry. With a contemporary approach to horology, the brand’s mission has been to push high-end, handmade watchmaking to the limits of technical innovation. Notable Richard Mille pieces include the RM 50-03 McLaren F1, the world’s lightest tourbillon in 2017, and the RM UP-01 Ferrari, the world’s thinnest mechanical watch in 2022, among many others.
‘For a long time, I wished to launch my own brand. 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.’ – Richard Mille.
The RM 001 Tourbillon was the first Richard Mille released, in an initial series of 17 watches, and sold out almost immediately. Today the Richard Mille watch collection comprises more than eighty models, each designed and produced with the same passion; we had a difficult mission to compile a list of the 10 most iconic Richard Mille watches ever created. Enjoy!
10. Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1
Kicking off our list is Richard Mille’s collaboration with McLaren, the RM 50-03 McLaren F1 is the first wristwatch made in Graph TPT (better known as graphene, that is six times lighter than steel and 200 times as strong). Weighing just 38 grams, including the strap, it was also the lightest mechanical chronograph ever made on its release. Priced at a whopping $980,000 the RM 50-03 McLaren F1 it was produced in a numbered limited edition of 75 pieces.
9. Richard Mille RM 50-04 Kimi Räikkönen
Paying homage to the “Iceman” and his team: Alfa Romeo Racing Team, Richard Mille unveiled at the 2019 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix alongside Finnish racing legend Kimi Räikkönen, the RM 50-04 Kimi Räikkönen. Housed in a 44.5mm case rendered in a mix of Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, inside a movement that weighs just seven grams, the Calibre RM50-03, a 30-minute split-seconds chronograph, a tourbillon, a power reserve indicator (max is ~70 hours). Tested in-house to survive impacts up to 5,000 g’s. Priced at an eye-watering $1,063,000 and limited to just 30 pieces.
8. Richard Mille RM69 Erotic Tourbillon
Erotic watches have a long tradition in watchmaking, back in 2015 Richard Mille reinterpreted the traditional erotic timepiece in a less graphic with the RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon, a wristwatch with three rollers that display a random, sexy statement. “Playfully interpreted, this fine watchmaking creation will delight and amuse its owners, teasingly displaying phrases that evoke desired pleasure.” Limited to just 30 pieces, the RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon had a price tag of, what else, $696,000.
7. Richard Mille RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams
Introduced in 2019 partnership with award-winning singer, songwriter, and music producer Pharrell, the RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams takes inspiration from Williams’ lifelong fascination with space travel through an exquisitely detailed design based around the planet Mars.
“With the RM 52-05, we’ve looked at Mars from a different angle, an unexpected first-person point of view. We have the best timekeeper in the world. We have Mars. And we have an African-American man from Virginia, all connected.” – Pharrell.
Priced with a recommended retail value of $969,000 the RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams was limited to just 30 pieces worldwide.
6. Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 27-02 Rafa Nadal
RM27-02 watch was designed with sports in mind, particularly professional tennis and is part of the Rafael Nadal watch collection – It’s well known for being sported by tennis player Rafael Nadal, a spokesperson for the brand since 2010. Housed in a case that combines quartz and carbon material developed by Richard Mille in partnership by Swiss NTPT, the brand unveiled the very first skeletonised baseplate known as ‘unibody’, in which the caseband and baseplate have been fused into a single piece, removing the need to attach the two components together. Priced at 770,000 Euros (or approx. $850,000) the RM 27-02 is limited to just 50 pieces.
5. Richard Mille RM 25-01 Tourbillon Adventure Sylvester Stallone
Born of a friendship between Richard Mille (the man) and action movie star Sylvester Stallone, Richard Mille RM 25-01 Tourbillon Adventure is designed to “conquer the most thoroughly hostile of natural environments” – the timepiece is housed in a 50.85mm case made of Carbon TPT and titanium, and is water resistant to 100 metres. Inside is the manually-wound movement Caliber RM25-01 beating at 3Hz (21,600 bph) with 72 hours of power reserve. Priced at a cool $983,000 USD the Rambo-approved watch comes in a limited edition of just 20 pieces.
4. Richard Mille RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley
Inspired by the iconic smiley face logo drawn by Franklin Loufrani 50 years ago, Richard Mille has unveiled a colourful creation, the RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley. The case measures 39.74mm-wide, 13.3mm-thick, and 48.15mm-long features a 18k red-gold middle case section while the bezel and caseback are in ATZ white ceramic. The goal of the watch is to make the wearer feel positive, around the Smiley’s radiant face, an array of micro-sculptures crafted by Olivier Kuhn forming and reforming a surreal scene. The RM 88 Automatic Tourbillon Smiley is limited to only 50 units and priced at $1,200,000 USD.
3. Richard Mille RM 40-01 Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail
Meet the RM 40-01 Automatic Winding Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail, a watch that celebrates the most powerful and most aerodynamic McLaren road car, the Speedtail. Inspired by the Speedtail’s teardrop-like form, the RM40-01 is housed in a 48.25mm x 41.80mm case, the bezel and caseback are made of grade 5 titanium with the caseband is made of Carbon TPT. It is powered by a spectacular movement, the in-house automatic tourbillon calibre CRMT4 with circa 50 hours (± 10%) of power reserve. Priced at $990,000 USD), the Richard Mille RM 40-01 Speedtail is limited to 106 pieces, mirroring the production number of the hypercar.
2. Richard Mille RM 70-01 Tourbillon Alain Prost ‘Cycling’
Richard Mille has unveiled a cycling-inspired watch with four-time Formula One champion and cycling enthusiast Alain Prost. Housed in an interesting “swoosh” case design made from Carbon TPT, the RM 70-01 incorporates a mechanical odometer, a totaliser that displays the overall distance travelled by a rider up to to 99,999 kilometres. Priced at $815,500 USD the Richard Mille RM 70-01 Alain Prost comes in a limited edition of 30 pieces.
1. Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari
Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is a great example how the brand pushes the boundaries of watchmaking. At 1.75mm, the model picks up the world’s thinnest watch title, just a few months after Bulgari took the title with the Octo Finissimo Ultra at 1.8mm in thickness. Designed in collaboration with Ferrari team and following countless prototypes the watch housed in a rounded rectangular shape which measures 51mm x 39mm x 1.75mm, with the movement and the case are made of Grade 5 titaniumt. Limited to just 150 pieces worldwide, the official retail price for the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is $1,888,000 USD establishing its dominance as one of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever made.
All Images Courtesy of Richard Mille
