Ladies First

In a bid to appeal to its ever-growing female clientele, Richard Mille rolled out its first in-house movement for women under the tutelage of Cécile Guenat, its recently appointed ladies’ collection director. Terence Lim reports from the launch in Paris

- Terence Lim

FOR AN ULTRA-MASCULINE brand like Richard Mille, the female customer surprisingly represents an important and significant portion of its business. According to marketing director Tim Malachard, women’s watches make up about 25 per cent of its global sales and the company sees potential for the segment to flourish further, estimated to reach 40 per cent in the next few years.

“Many more ladies are buying watches for themselves, and we want them to be able to buy watches designed for them,” he told us at the launch of the brand’s first in-house automatic tourbillon, the calibre CRMT1, in Paris. And to underline how much the women’s market means to Richard Mille, the tourbillon is housed in the new RM 71-01 Automatic Tourbillon Talisman created specifically for women.

The brains behind the RM 71-01 is Cé cile Guenat, the brand’s ladies’ collection director. Guenat is no stranger to the company—her father is Dominique Guenat, the long-time business partner and co-president of Richard Mille. A trained jewellery designer, she brings her own aesthetic sensibilities to complement the otherwise masculine world of Richard Mille watches.

“There’s a high level of testosterone in the company,” Mille quipped. “So, it’s time for new blood, fresh air and fresh talent in our company.”