The Richard Mille brand was first developed in 1999 by Richard Mille in a partnership with Montres Valgine and Audemars Piguet, with the RM 001 Tourbillon introduced to the world at Baselworld in 2001. In addition to their distinctive design, lightweight construction, and shock resistance, Richard Mille is well known for their untraditional marketing.
Mille has also previously worked for Yema in the early 1980s before the French brand was acquired by Seiko in 1986.
Early Partnerships with F1 Teams and Drivers
It’s also no surprise that Richard Mille has become a household name of sorts in the motorsports world. Having invested in automobile events since 2002, the brand has since made their way into Formula One and has previously sponsored teams including Lotus F1, Haas F1, and Alfa Romeo.
Their driver roster has also boasted names like Jules Bianchi, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikönnen, Charles Leclerc, Romain Grosjean, Mick Schumacher, and Felipe Massa.
Felipe Massa
Massa in particular has played a major role with the brand, with their partnership extending back to 2004. The RM 006 Felipe Massa being the first of many Richard Mille watches to bear his name, followed by the RM 005 and RM 009 in 2005. Of note was their collaboration with Massa on the RM 011 line of flyback chronographs which were produced from 2007 to 2016. The RM 050 Felipe Massa was also launched in 2012.
Jean Todt
Richard Mille’s association with Formula One isn’t limited to only teams and drivers, as demonstrated by models such as the Tourbillon G-Sensor RM-036 Jean Todt Limited Edition, one of several timepieces made in honor of the legendary Ferrari team principal and ninth president of the FIA.
McLaren
After the conclusion of a three-decade partnership with TAG Heuer, McLaren signed a 10-year agreement with Richard Mille in 2016. The first watch the RM 50-03 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph McLaren F1, a collaboration with the McLaren F1 team and the University of Manchester. Announced in 2017, the exclusive timepiece was limited to 75 pieces. Several subsequent timepieces were also inspired by various McLaren road cars.
Scuderia Ferrari
Richard Mille began a partnership with Scuderia Ferrari in 2021, taking over from Hublot. While not specifically a Formula One model, one model of note is the 1.75mm thick RM UP-01 Ferrari which was developed with Audemars Piguet.
Inside the F1 Cockpit
Richard Mille timepieces have the distinction of sometimes being worn by modern era F1 drivers during races. While wearing watches inside the cockpit was once commonplace in the early decades of Grand Prix racing, doing so has since become all but unthinkable. Two high profile examples include Massa’s 2009 freak accident at the Hugarian Grand Prix, and Grosjean’s fiery crash in Bahrain in 2020.
Charles Leclerc
Richard Mille first supported driver Charles Leclerc in 2009 while still in his karting career. The RM 67-02 Charles Leclerc was unveiled in September of 2021 after starting their partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. An RM 67-02 Charles Leclerc prototype was sold for CHF 2,100,000 at a Christie’s auction in November of the same year, via Only Watch. In 2022, an RM 67-02 that was specifically made for Leclerc was stolen off his wrist in Italy.
Related Pages
References
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https://professionalwatches.com/the-rm-011-felipe-massa-flyback-chronograph-carbon/
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