Whether a luxury watch enthusiast or a fan of endurance motorsports, the name Richard Mille is iconic, on and off the track. Racing is at the heart of what the company does. Some may know Richard Mille only as a racing team, but it is also one of the most highly-lauded and respected high-end watchmakers in the world. However, it is true that automotive inspiration runs deep. The look of the various lines of watches often takes inspiration from the world of motorsport, including the iconic Ferrari watch.

But Richard Mille watches are also designed to be tough, durable, and accurate, which are also things that are required in the world of endurance racing. You don’t have to be a racecar driver to love and appreciate the look and technological inspiration of these watches, though many models may be hard to find and come with a pretty hefty price tag. The innovation in these watches runs deep and they are some of the most reliable and well-made watches on the market today.

Richard Mille Watches

Before ever starting his own brand, Richard Mille had a long history in the world of luxury watchmaking. He began his career with small boutique brands before moving on to begin his own company in 1999.

Working closely with another high-end watchmaker, Audemars Piguet, Mille would unveil his first model, the RM 001. From the beginning, racing has inspired Mille’s watch designs. The use of materials such as carbon nanofibers in the construction of the watch was incredibly innovative (coming as it did from the world of racing) and the price of the watch was pretty high for the time.

This first line, like all subsequent lines of Richard Mille watches, was made in very small numbers. Only 17 of these first watches were made, which gave it exclusivity from the start. This would ultimately really help the brand get its start.

Since that first line of watches, Richard Mille has created a number of unique, high-value timepieces that are at the cutting edge of design, both inside and out. He is well-known for using unique materials and creating some of the most complex internal watch mechanisms available today.

Some of the Most Expensive Watches in the World

Richard Mille watches are known for a number of things. They are eye-catching and incredibly unique in their look and feel. And, they are also pretty expensive. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, only the best materials are used in the production of these watches. The company uses cutting-edge and unique materials that are rare and expensive to produce or mine. These watches also utilize some of the most advanced watchmaking technology in the world. Richard Mille watches are not only works of art, they are feats of engineering. The research and design, as well as the hand construction of each watch, costs money, sometimes a lot of money.

And, since the watches are so rare due to being made in such limited quantities, there is an almost built-in scarcity. The latest Ferrari offered by Richard Mille goes for a whopping $1.88 million dollars! This is a watch that, as we will soon see, breaks the mold in a number of areas, taking the prize of the thinnest watch in the world as of the time of writing.

A Favorite of the Celebrities and Wealthy Alike

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has been known to sport Richard Mille watches. Given the small number of watches made and the price, it is not surprising that this watch is a favorite of the rich and famous. What may be a bit more surprising is that the majority of Richard Mille’s customers hail from Asia.

According to Forbes, some 40% of watch production is for various Asian countries. Early on in its inception, Richard Mille as a company sought to get in on the Asian market. The first Richard Mille boutique opened in 2006 in Hong Kong. Shortly later, a boutique in Tokyo was unveiled.

Flash forward to today and there are 16 boutiques in the Asian region. This is a huge number, given how America, Europe, and the rest of the world only host 25 boutiques in total. This starkly shows just how important the wealthy Asian market is for the watchmaker.

Design changes have even been made based on the preferences of the Asian market. The company saw that larger, bulky watches were not selling as well in the Asian market. This caused them to start working on slimmer models and models for women. These styles have since become popular in many places around the world, not just the Asian market.

Though it is a smaller brand, the leveraging of the Asian market, as well as his design innovations, have allowed Richard Mille to become one of the premier Swiss watchmakers, alongside the likes of long-standing major players such as Rolex.

The RM UP-01: A $1.88 Million Masterpiece

Perhaps the most iconic of Richard Mille’s line of watches is the Ferrari. Given the love for racing and its technologies, as well as the long and storied history of Ferrari as an automotive company, the partnership is pretty natural, both on and off the track. Of course, Richard Mille works with Ferrari in a racing capacity, but the iconic sports car also inspired one of the most popular watches the company has ever made, the aptly named Ferrari.

This watch is one of the more expensive watches on the market, coming in at a whopping $1.88 million if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one as only 150 units were produced. The partnership between the automotive maker and watchmaker spawned the thinnest watch ever made. It is a unique-looking watch that takes elements from both the high-tech world of motor racing and the latest technological innovation in the watchmaking world as well.

Introduced in 2021, this watch is a feast for the senses. It is a mere 1.75 mm thick. That is incredibly thin, especially given the complex technology that undergirds the watch as well. The collaboration took many thousands of hours of research and testing to come to fruition.

The mechanism for the watch is a Calibre RMUP-01. It is a manual or self-winding model that has a function selector, as well as hour and minute markers. Many of the parts on this watch, such as the variable-inertia balance wheel are bespoke parts made exclusively for this watch. Due to the thinness of the watch, it couldn’t be constructed in the traditional manner. Other features of this watch include:

• 45-hour power reserve

• use of Grade 5 titanium in the baseplate and bridges

• friction- and water-resistant

• bespoke internal components

It takes a lot of research and development to create a watch this thin that has all the proper components and mechanisms to make it work as well as a Richard Mille watch needs to work. The partnership between Ferrari and Mille produced something incredibly unique, iconic, and really nice to look at. The watch has a wide, flat face with a chunkier bracelet that looks great against the brushed metal of the watch face.

Versatility

One of the things you hear a lot about Richard Mille watches is how versatile they are. These are high-end luxury watches, but they are also made to be worn. That is why they are made from such high-grade materials and to such high standards of construction. The company believes they should produce a watch that can go where you go, whether you are a racecar driver or an everyday person.

While the watches are incredibly unique and stunning to look at, they are not over-the-top. They have a sporty design and construction. It allows for the watch to look great with a wide variety of looks. You can easily pair this watch with a suit and look great, but you can also pair it with more casual wear and not look out of place or overdressed. Having a high-end watch that you can wear to a variety of occasions and events is a great perk, indeed.

There is a lot to love about Richard Mille watches, especially if you are also a fan of motorsport. Lines such as the RM UP-01 allow for a seamless blending of automotive inspiration and cutting-edge design. What you get is a top-of-the-line handmade Swiss watch that has some of the most complex and advanced inner workings you can find in the watchmaking world today.

Their design gives it a unique and sporty look and feel that makes it a great watch for athletes, motorsport enthusiasts, or, well, anyone who is lucky enough to get their hands on one of these masterpieces.

Each Richard Mille watch is the result of many thousands of hours of rigorous testing, research, and design. They are made to be worn and to stand the test of time. These rare watches are feats of design and engineering, boasting some of the most complex internal mechanisms and some of the most iconic looks and designs of today’s luxury wristwatches.