“Exceptional” results for Richard Mille
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal
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For the second consecutive year, Richard Mille travelled to Hong Kong as one of the exhibitors at Watches&Wonders; a chance to catch up with the founder and CEO of the brand.
How did Watches&Wonders turn out for Richard Mille, given the marked slowdown in Swiss watch sales in Asia?
Richard Mille: The supposedly “marked” slowdown, which the media was quick to relay, was really a worst-case scenario as the drop in sales has been variable from one brand to another. The Far East has been overheating, so as far as I can see, it’s a good thing that the market should be cooling off. Whatever the case, our sales haven’t been affected, in fact they are increasing significantly each year.
You put women centre-stage this year. What response have you had?
We’ve had fabulous feedback from all quarters in every market. Women today have developed a real interest in and substantial knowledge of watches. For this reason, it’s vital that we offer huge diversity in our collection. We’ve made impressive progress on this count.
In Hong Kong, you trained the spotlight on the RM 56-02 and RM 57-01 Phoenix and Dragon-Jackie Chan. Would you describe them as representative of the brand's expertise?
Watches such as the RM 56-02 and RM 57-01 demonstrate our capacity to take Fine Watchmaking to extremes, whether in technique or gem-setting, and to feel comfortable doing so.
Which are the best-selling Richard Mille ranges right now?
Our entire collection is doing extremely well, whether our automatic models or limited-edition grandes complications.
Generally speaking, how has 2014 been for Richard Mille in terms of sales and production?
As I said, we’ve performed remarkably well, in fact I’d be justified in saying these are exceptional results.
Carlo Cracco recently became a "friend" of Richard Mille. For once, not an athlete!
Not all our partners are sports personalities. Natalie Portman, Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt have been part of the Richard Mille family for years. As with our watches, we’re diversifying with time. Carlo Cracco is an extraordinary chef with an outstanding career. He’s also a workaholic! Obviously we’re not implying that wearing a Richard Mille watch will make you a better cook. This partnership simply expresses Carlo’s passion for watches; the same passion you can feel for good wine, good food, art, fashion or cars. Watches are also about an appreciation of life.
There's now a Richard Mille boutique in London. What are your ambitions in terms of stand-alone stores?
We have 22 boutiques to date. Every Richard Mille store sets out to propose a unique experience that will immerse the customer in the brand from the second he or she crosses the threshold. In the same line of thought, I believe that customers must be given the chance to enjoy personalised service, and have numerous opportunities to interact with the brand. This is why we couldn’t do without our partnership with the retailers who also contribute to asserting our global presence. Giving our customers a diversified collection is one of our priorities.
What's on the agenda for 2015? Can we expect any surprises at SIHH?
Wait and see. My lips are sealed…
