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, the Swiss brand is well known for their nontraditional 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
Richard Mille began investing in automobile events in 2002, eventually reaching Formula 1. Since 2013, the brand has sponsored teams including Lotus F1, Haas F1, and Alfa Romeo.
Their driver roster has also included Jules Bianchi, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikönnen, Charles Leclerc, Romain Grosjean, Mick Schumacher, and Felipe Massa.
Felipe Massa Collaborations
Massa in particular has played a major role with the brand, with their partnership starting in 2004. The RM 006 Felipe Massa being the first of many Richard Mille models to bear his name, followed by others including the RM 005, RM 009 (2005), RM 011 (2007), RM 050 (2012), and RM 056 (2012).
Jean Todt Editions
Richard Mille’s association with F1 isn’t limited to only teams and drivers, as demonstrated by models such as the Tourbillon G-Sensor RM-036 Jean Todt Limited Edition that was announced in late 2012 and unveiled at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève in 2013. This was the first of several timepieces made in honor of the legendary Ferrari team principal and ninth president of the FIA.
Jean Todt and Felipe Massa. (Photo: ITU Pictures, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Charles Leclerc Editions
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.
The RM72-01 ‘Charles Leclerc’ was soft launched leading up to the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, quietly appearing on Leclerc’s wrists on social media posts. The limited edition has a production run of 150 pieces, and was the first ever production signature model created for Leclerc.
Alain Prost
Four time F1 world champion Alain Prost, who is also an avid cyclist, began a partnership with Richard Mille in 2013. Prost’s signature RM 70-01 was revealed in 2017, featuring a mechanical odometer and specifically designed to be worn on the right wrist. The unique timepiece had limited production run of 30 pieces.
McLaren Sponsorship
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 was 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 Sponsorship
Richard Mille began a partnership with Scuderia Ferrari in 2021, taking over from Hublot. While not specifically an F1 model, one model of note is the 1.75mm thick RM UP-01 Ferrari which was announced in 2022 and 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. One example was Massa’s 2009 freak accident at the Hugarian Grand Prix, and there is speculation that Grosjean may have had a watch on during his fiery crash in Bahrain in 2020.
While wearing watches inside the cockpit was once commonplace in the early decades of Grand Prix racing, the practice had been considered dangerous by the 1970s due to fire-related concerns. Despite improvements in fire-retardant suits, there was no widespread resurgence in wearing watches during competition. A jewelry ban was established by the FIA in 2005, followed by the inclusion of watches in 2022.
RM 47 Tourbillon and Fernando Alonso
While not a racing watch, the Samurai-themed RM 47 Tourbillon was inspired by Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion is known to be an enthusiast of Samurai principles and traditional Japanese arts.
Related Pages
References
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https://professionalwatches.com/the-rm-011-felipe-massa-flyback-chronograph-carbon/
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