While many people have never heard of the name Richard Mille, his timepieces are well known to ultra-luxury watch collectors as they carry an extremely high price tag that can easily surpass a Ferrari or single family home. Below are some reasons why.

Who is Richard Mille?

Richard Mille founded the Swiss watch company that bears his name along with Dominique Guenat. Despite the fact that they launched their company in 2001, which makes the firm an “infant” compared to other Swiss watchmakers such as Rolex which have been in existence for more than a hundred years, Richard Mille is able to sell his timepieces at a much higher price. How much? A single Richard Mille watch can range from $450,000 to $2 million, meaning that only the richest people in the world can afford them.

Mille begin his career working at Finhor during the 1970s, which was a regional watchmaker. Matra would eventually acquire Finhor in 1981 and Richard ascended to management, handling brands such as Cupillard Rième and Yema. Seiko would in turn purchase Matra by 1992, at which point Mille left to begin a career with the jewelry maker Mauboussin. After stepping away from Mauboussin due to disagreements regarding commercial strategy, he decided to launch is own line of watches.

Richard Mille Watches Use Cutting Edge Technology

While most Swiss watchmakers incorporate advanced technology into their timepieces, the materials used in Richard Mille timepieces are truly space age. For example, the baseplate and face incorporate materials that are usually found in Formula One cars, yachts and aerospace vehicles. And it takes years of research and development along with large sums of money to understand how these materials can be applied to watchmaking.

Richard Mille Watches Use State of the Art Materials and Engineering

While most luxury watches are known for being made with materials such as gold or diamonds, Richard Mille takes it a step further, using materials such as carbon nanotubes, reinforced ceramic, specialty carbon, perfluoroelastomer, silicon nitride and other space age materials that most people can’t even pronounce, let alone understand.

Aside from “what” these watches are made from, another reason they are so expensive is because of “how” they are made. Richard Mille watch manufacture has been compared to Formula One vehicle production. For instance, the complex surfaces which are curved must be polished, which is a challenging feat that involves the usage of ultrasound. The sapphires which appear in these watches require forty days just to finish and the movements utilize hybridized titanium that requires teams of engineers and watchmakers to fabricate and perfect.

These Watches Have Significant Celebrity Endorsement

It is one thing to make a fabulous watch with advanced materials, but it is another to be endorsed by world famous athletes. It is this combination that has allowed Richard Mille to surpass many of his Swiss counterparts. For instance, Maria Vicente, the famous heptathlete from Spain, wears a Richard Mille watch, as does Bubba Watson, a professional golfing champion who regularly competes in PGA Tours. When people of this caliber start adorning your timepieces, it isn’t long before word spreads.