Richard Mille’s next move: Amanda Mille on storytelling, technical ambition and serving women seriously

Since 2001, Swiss watch brand Richard Mille has been shaking up the traditional world of haute horlogerie with an approach to manufacturing timepieces that draws inspiration from Formula 1 race-car engineering, using shock-resistant materials such as carbon, titanium and quartz. In 2026 the brand aims to release a limited run of 6,100 watches. With a business model built on scarcity and average prices of about €313,000, Richard Mille represents a members’-club-like level of aspiration for those who can secure a model.

Amanda Mille – Richard’s daughter, who serves as the horological house’s brand and partnerships director – sees herself as a storyteller. Based in Paris, she began her career at Richard Mille in Dubai, expanding the brand’s offering to female customers. At its Monaco shop, she tells Monocle about the company’s ambitions and why exceptional service sometimes requires honesty.

You started your career with Richard Mille in Dubai, building its women’s segment. Was the demand already there or did you have to create something new?
It was my father’s dream to create jewellery for gentlemen, so the universe of Richard Mille was male-orientated. The boutiques were black; it was almost all about car racing. It wasn’t easy for a female customer to see herself in that world. Some women were asking for Richard Mille watches but most didn’t know that we had something to offer them. I became a storyteller, more than a salesperson, to increase their awareness that we had been working seriously on it. We also had to change. At the time, for example, we didn’t have any full-length mirrors in our shops; only small ones. But women want to see the whole look. We had to adapt to welcome them better.

People wrongly assume that women aren’t interested in the manufacturing process. The first time that we did a factory tour for female-only customers, they asked so many technical questions. I have to thank Cécile Guenat [the director of creation and development at Richard Mille], who has been adding to the female collections [with the introduction of a high-jewellery line in 2020]. When we started making women’s watches, it was important that people understood that we weren’t just adding diamonds to things, so we began with technical pieces without stones. We knew that the message wouldn’t be as strong if we just embellished watches and that it also wouldn’t have been in keeping with Richard Mille’s technical reputation. Now, people understand that we’re making women’s watches of the same calibre.

Richard Mille sponsors sports events and has partnerships with athletes – from Olympic gold medallist Ester Ledecká and French freediver Arnaud Jerald to Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal. How do you go about choosing the right people to work with?
It’s like love at first sight. Today we have more than 60 partners. Sportspeople from different disciplines bring us information that we need to continue to grow on the technical and material side, as well as in terms of image.

Big partnerships such as Rallye des Princesses or the Superyacht Cup Palma come from discussions on whether or not it makes sense for us to have a presence there. We get a lot of feedback about our products by taking the time to invite press, clients or partners to an event. Our clients feel that they’re part of the Richard Mille family. We’re creating a brand that people can feel close to and is part of their lives.

Why do you invest so much in storytelling and partnerships when the demand for your pieces already outstrips the supply?
We want to be proud of ourselves. We’re always respectful to those who are interested in the brand, whether they can buy a watch or not. It’s also important never to judge the people who come into your shop because you never know: perhaps today this person is young and still at university but tomorrow they might open their first business and remember how they were treated. We feel honoured to be able to make people dream – those who are just starting out and aren’t able to afford a Richard Mille watch today or maybe ever.

There’s nothing sadder than creating something that no one understands or cares about. It happens to so many who have amazing ideas. We have been lucky enough to have people understand what we create. We don’t take that for granted. We’re always looking at how to do more and be more creative because we don’t want to be bored. Every month, we go to the factory to do our board meetings and development meetings. We want to have fun.