Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1480737
144 BAL HARBOUR XXX wrist. Since her father, in 1999, at the age of 50, set out to reinvent the luxury watch market, Richard Mille has never sought to embed itself in the establishment. Their first model, the RM 001 Tourbillion, debuted in 2001 with a titanium and carbon nano-filter design in a barrel-shaped dial, casting aside his Swiss-made competitors' constraints of replicating centuries-old models for modern consumers in favor of innovation, performance and curiosity. In its nascent 23-year history, the line of none-the-less precious wrist watches have shaped what we believe a timepiece should look like, where we can wear it and who should have one. Trademarked by unprecedented durability and material innovations including featherweight graphene, Richard Mille has upended the luxury watch market while spotlighting two underserved sectors: sports and women. Rather than offering models that targeted these audiences, Richard Mille crafted watches with them—most notably women athletes—offering a platform and coveted corporate sponsorships. Beyond putting their face on a product, Richard Mille invites its talent to collaborate on and test-drive new technological advancements in a way that machines simply cannot. The brand's lightest elastic strap was crafted with Olympic gold-medal skier Ester Ledecká's aerodynamic speed (see the RM 67-2), while decorated golfer Cristie Kerr can be thanked for the diamond-encrusted face capable of withstand her swings (RM 007). And in 2019, the brand created the world's first professional all-women's racing team, now all-gender and led by Wadoux. "It was essential to start with a 100 percent ladies team," says Mille. "Our aim was very much to emphasize the lack of opportunities for women drivers… If we'd had a mixed team right from the start, even if the results were good, people would have attributed all the success to the men. We simply wouldn't have challenged anyone's thinking." Despite her involvement now, the oldest Mille sibling thought she would work practically anywhere but for her father's brand. "We didn't grow up thinking that our name brought anything to the company," she says. Instead, her interest in working with people drew her to open Souk, a North African restaurant in London in 1994. But the women's market for Mille was showing its cracks. Compared to other luxury watch brands, in the ladies' segments, "we weren't last, but we weren't far from it," she says.