Richard Mille uses the most resistant and lightweight materials to create technically advanced timepieces that are mechanical marvels, but the name may not necessarily spring to mind as the go-to brand for women’s watches. Inspired by the world of Formula One racing and even competitive sailing, Richard Mille makes an art of creating the ultimate racing machines for the wrist – perhaps not the most conventional approach when it comes to enticing women.
But Richard Mille’s watches are gaining a following amongst females who like their beauty to pack a punch, a philosophy best summed up in the photograph of martial arts star Michelle Yeoh wielding a samurai sword. With a determined glint in her eyes and a shimmering diamond watch on her wrist, her timepiece is every bit as sharp and refined as her weapon.
Yeoh designed her watch in collaboration with the Swiss watch house and chose the Phoenix as a symbol of power and rebirth. The stylised form of the mythical bird in flight is picked out in diamonds. Behind its sweeping, shimmering curves whirrs an all-black movement.
The Celtic Knot RM019 is equally ambitious. This ancient symbol weaves its way through the movement, which includes an impressive tourbillon regulation system to improve accuracy. The RM 023 and RM 033 are embellished with diamonds on the case, while the RM 007 is livened up by the vivid green of emeralds and the sparkle of diamonds in perhaps the prettiest of the brand’s watches for women.
Other female-friendly watches include the RM 007 in gold or titanium, as favoured by Italian golfer Diana Luna, who wears hers on the course, subjecting it to the gruelling rigours of the game.
But most of all I like the uncompromising design gambit of the RM 26-01 Tourbillon Panda. Comfortably reclining on the bottom side of the watch, a diamond-set panda munches on a golden bamboo stick, his little pink tongue visible as he pops the snack in his mouth. Completing this unusual and serene scene, bamboo canes grow around him. While the panda concentrates on his food, a tourbillon whirrs away. The mechanical feat of fitting a panda and a tourbillon into a watch is not to be underestimated.
Richard Mille’s women’s watches present a futuristic take on the luxury jewellery watch. Combining hardcore mechanics with precious materials, they are designed for a generation of women who want more than just a pretty face on their wrist.
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Richard Mille RM 023 Automatic with a red gold case.
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Richard Mille 019 Ladies’ Tourbillon in white gold, featuring a diamond studded celtic knot that weaves itself through the movement.
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Richard Mille 019 Ladies’ Tourbillon with a red gold case and celtic knot symbol.
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Richard Mille RM 007 with a tripartite case and red gold crown. Inside are 18 gold micro-balls, which absorb excess energy to safeguard the watch’s mechanism.
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The Richard Mille RM 007 in white gold, set with emeralds and diamonds.
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Richard Mille’s watches are renowned for being difficult to manufacture, in part because of their fully curved tripartite tonneau-shaped case.
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Richard Mille RM 007 Titanium watch with a white crown and white rubber strap, engraved with “Lacoste Ladies Open 2013”.
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The limited-edition Richard Mille RM 051 Phoenix Michelle Yeoh with a red gold and titanium, gem-set case and manual winding tourbillon movement.
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The limited-edition Richard Mille RM 26-01 Tourbillon Panda features a white gold panda on its face, set with diamonds and black sapphires, and a manual winding tourbillon movement.
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The case of the Richard Mille RM 26-01 Tourbillon Panda is ergonomically curved.
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The Richard Mille RM 051 Phoenix watch, created in collaboration with Michelle Yeoh, with a white gold, gem-set case and manual winding tourbillon movement.
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Richard Mille RM 037 watch with a red gold, gem-set case.
