Just ahead of the start of this season’s Formula 1 testing in Barcelona it was difficult to keep up with the fervent activity of Richard Mille. I only learned about the hastily arranged announcement of the deal with McLaren from our contributor Miguel Seabra, who teased me on Facebook from the event, making me guess where he was. I opted for Banbury at Haas F1, which seemed the logical choice given the personal friendship between Richard Mille and the team driver Romain Grosjean. I was wrong, since the brand announced its partnership with McLaren… only to confirm my guess three days later with the announcement of its partnership with Haas F1 as well. Too much of a good thing? I asked Richard Mille for the reasons behind these new partnerships.
Doesn’t having two different Formula 1 partnerships create some confusion?
For us, motor racing is something vital. It is something that has always been inherent in the brand and it is a constant source of inspiration. Our presence in Formula 1 is not just anecdotal. It’s a global phenomenon on a par with the Olympic Games or the World Cup in football. So I’m delighted to have four cars on the grid this year! I am a big fan of F1 and other races – they are my main obsessions. By supporting several teams and talented drivers I am also treating myself.
Felipe Massa is also a friend of the brand, like Romain Grosjean, but he drives for Williams. Can you dissociate the person from the team?
I am friends with two drivers. Each has his own contractual obligations with the team. We have never had a problem with that. And I have to add that all Formula 1 drivers like Richard Mille watches. Whatever their sponsor, in private they will admit that they own not just one but several Richard Mille watches.
So there will be five drivers in F1 wearing your watches this year. Will they all wear the same model or will they have a choice?
No, each driver will have a different model. This will give us better feedback on the watches and allow us to have a perfect showcase for our collection. Our different collections will therefore be represented and shown off to our customers.
Will you use this as a research and development platform for the brand?
Absolutely. All our partnerships have always been and will always be an integral part of our research and development. I always demand that our watches are worn in real-world conditions – on tennis courts, racing circuits, red carpets, ski slopes, golf courses, yacht regattas etc. This allows us to learn and grow. It forces us to adapt to the extreme conditions faced by our partners and develop brand-new technical solutions, ultra-lightweight and highly resistant materials and increasingly sophisticated complications to accompany them on their activities.
Our years of experience alongside Felipe Massa, Rafael Nadal, Bubba Watson and Romain Grosjean have allowed us to build up unrivalled technical expertise in the world of fine watchmaking. The technical specifications can be quite different from one sport to another and this allows us to accumulate a huge amount of data in terms of shock resistance, pure performance, wearing comfort, structural rigidity and so on… More than just being comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, a luxury watch has to function without fail in any conditions and our employees, friends and ambassadors are an integral part of the test process.
These new partnerships are a big commitment for the brand. What do you expect in terms of return on investment and in which markets?
We live in a globalized world. Of course, you can develop a watch for a specific market, but the projects we are talking about here are not geared towards one single market. The reason for this is simple: our partnerships in Formula 1 reaffirm the philosophy of the brand and are the foundation for its very existence, not to mention my personal passion and interest in cars in general and motorsport in particular, since racing is my favourite hobby. Our commitments in Formula 1 have a global impact on brand awareness and I’m delighted to be able to combine business with pleasure in a fruitful way!
