Richard Mille: history, models and value

Founded

2001

Founder(s)

Richard Mille, Dominique Guenat

Headquarters

Les Breuleux

Owner / group

Independent (privately owned)

Richard Mille: origins and founding

Richard Mille was founded in 2001 by the Frenchman Richard Mille and the Swiss watch industrialist Dominique Guenat. The two planned the brand in 1998 and 1999. The operating company, Horométrie, was registered in 2001, and the first watch, the RM 001 Tourbillon, was shown at Baselworld that same year. The brand is based in Les Breuleux in the Swiss Jura, where design and assembly take place.

From the start, the movement work involved the specialists of Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi. Giulio Papi has said that the collaboration with Richard Mille began in 1996 and that only 17 examples of the RM 001 were made.

Founders and family

Richard Mille was born in 1951 in Draguignan, France, and studied marketing in Besançon. He joined the watch company Finhor in 1974 and stayed after Matra bought it in 1981. In 1992 he moved to the jeweller Mauboussin to build up its watch business. Dominique Guenat ran Guenat SA – Montres Valgine, a family watch company in Les Breuleux, from 1991. The two were equal partners in Horométrie. Cécile Guenat, from the Guenat family, designed the RM 71-01 Talisman ladies' tourbillon.

Richard Mille history and milestones

• 2001: RM 001 Tourbillon presented at Baselworld.
• 2004–2005: RM 006 and RM 009 Felipe Massa tourbillons.
• 2007: RM 027 for tennis player Rafael Nadal; Audemars Piguet, a partner in creating the brand, takes a stake; a new assembly building opens.
• 2013: the founders buy 90% of the case and component maker ProArt and turn down an offer from Kering to buy 51% of the brand.
• 2016: partnership with McLaren.
• 2018: the brand leaves the SIHH fair in Geneva; production is about 4,800 watches that year.
• 2021: partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.

Roughly 32,000 watches were sold between 2001 and 2017, which is a small number compared with the big Swiss houses.

Famous Richard Mille models

Models are named with "RM" and a number. Well-known lines include:

• RM 001 / RM 002 Tourbillon – the first watches, with skeletonized movements in tonneau-shaped cases.
• RM 011 – a flyback chronograph, one of the brand's most recognizable models.
• RM 027 and its successors (RM 27-01, RM 27-03) – ultra-light tourbillons made for Rafael Nadal.
• RM 50-03 McLaren F1 – a chronograph tourbillon that weighs about 38 grams.
• RM 67-02 – a light automatic sports watch made in many athlete editions.
• RM 71-01 Talisman – a jewelled ladies' tourbillon from 2018.

Movements and technique

Richard Mille watches are built around visible, skeletonized movements. Many complicated calibres were developed with Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi, and the brand also uses its own calibres, such as the CRMA automatic series. Typical technical features include a variable-geometry rotor that adjusts winding to how active you are, a declutchable rotor, and, on some models, a G-force sensor. The brand is known for unusual materials: grade 5 titanium, Carbon TPT and NTPT (very thin layered carbon), the lithium alloy LITAL, graphene and sapphire cases. ProArt makes cases and parts such as baseplates and bridges.

Richard Mille today

Richard Mille is privately owned and still run by its founders, with Richard Mille as chairman. Headquarters and production are in Les Breuleux, with decoration done by the group company VMDH in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The brand sits at the very top of the luxury segment and works heavily with sports stars, from tennis and Formula 1 to combat sports.

Richard Mille prices on the pre-owned market

Small production and strong demand mean that many Richard Mille models trade near or above their original retail price, but this varies a lot by reference. Sports models in Carbon TPT or titanium, athlete editions and early numbered pieces tend to attract the most interest. Gem-set or more unusual pieces can be harder to sell. What matters most is the exact reference and material, completeness (box, warranty card, papers), service history with Richard Mille, and the condition of the case, since scratches on carbon or sapphire cannot simply be polished out like steel. A watch with a mismatch between reference, serial and papers will struggle to find a buyer.

How to recognise a genuine Richard Mille

Richard Mille is one of the most copied brands, so care is essential. Compare your watch with official images for exactly the same reference and material, not with random photos online. Check the distinctive spline screws on the case: their number and position depend on the reference. Weight should match the material; gold or sapphire models are not light. Look through the case back: the calibre must match the reference, and every displayed function must work. A "tourbillon" that hides a battery is an obvious fake. Reference, serial, case and warranty numbers should agree with each other and with the papers. Warranty cards carry a holographic seal, but papers can be faked too. Also watch for genuine movements put into aftermarket cases. Read our guide on how to spot a fake watch, and for an expensive purchase have the watch checked by an expert.

What is your Richard Mille worth?

Send us a few clear photos of the dial, case back and papers, and you will get a free watch value estimate in minutes. If you need a signed document for an estate, a divorce or insurance, you can order a written watch appraisal.

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