From Michelle Yeoh to racing queens: Richard Mille celebrates the modern woman

Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, internationally-renowned actress and producer, impressed Richard with her artistic talents, her knowledge and understanding of women’s taste, and her natural sense of luxury. – Photos: Richard Mille

Richard Mille is a name that not only champions excellence in various disciplines, it also shows a deep commitment to celebrating women through many aspects of the business.

From timepieces specially designed to appeal to female connoisseurs and engaging personalities that are masters in their respective domains, Richard Mille goes above and beyond in its celebration of women.

Building a close community

For Richard Mille, the importance of human connection has been an integral part of brand identity, with a keen focus on building the “Richard Mille family”.

Amanda MilleTo manage relations with customers, VIPs and partners at both international and private events, there is no one more suitable for the role than brand and partnerships director Amanda Mille.

Formerly the head of the privilege department devoted to female customers, her career has been illustrious, from managing a restaurant to representing a luxury store, stemming from her taste for customer relations and service.

The eldest daughter of founder Richard Mille finds fulfillment and joy in forging friendships and building partnerships with notable personalities from a wide variety of fields, including sports and entertainment.

Amanda enjoys creating a rapport with her customers and recognises them as true connoisseurs of the brand who feel a genuine sense of belonging to the Richard Mille family.

Convinced of the necessity to perpetuate existing contact with customers and develop it by offering a bespoke service, her objective is to cultivate personalised connections. And, this is founded on real knowledge of specific wishes and preferences in order to meet individual requirements fully.

Tribute to tenacity

The Richard Mille family is an exclusive list of individuals celebrated for success in their respective fields, many of whom are women.

Role models who will continue to inspire generations of young girls, the close-knit community includes names that range from young, up-and-coming sports stars to veteran, award-winning, world-famous film personalities.

Jessica Von Bredow-WerndlTan Sri Michelle Yeoh, internationally-renowned actress and producer, impressed Richard with her artistic talents, her knowledge and understanding of women’s taste, and her natural sense of luxury. Richard then suggested that they create two jewellery pieces together, made specifically for women, the RM 051 and RM 51-01 Tourbillon.

Heptathlete Nafi Thiam was the first female athlete to join the Richard Mille athletes team in 2018. The Belgian athlete is one of the world’s top sports competitors, with a long list of achievements.

She was European junior champion in 2013, and European indoor runner-up in 2015, taking home the gold medal at the Rio Olympics. At the 2017 Hypo-meeting in Gotzis, Austria, Thiam shot to third in the world’s all-time heptathlon list, scoring 7,013 points.

She won the gold medal at the World Championships in London. In 2018, she was victorious in the European Championship, and in 2019 during the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019, she took silver in Doha. Add to this Pentathlon Gold at the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland 2021.

Nelly KordaDressage champion Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl joined Richard Mille in 2016. She has many accolades to her name, including winning third place in the Neumunster (Germany) World Cup and the German National Championships, and first place in the Gothenburg World Cup in the 2013-2014 season.

In 2015 she added a third place finish at the World Cup Qualifier in Amsterdam and third place in the World Cup Finals held in Las Vegas, also obtaining a second 1st place win at Gothenburg.

She successfully defended her third place finish at the next edition of World Cup Final in 2016 and in 2018.

France’s champion showjumper Flore Giraud joined the family not too long ago, a partnership set in motion when Giraud met Amanda, and things “clicked” instantly.

A rising star in the world of showjumping, she has experienced much success in international Grand Prix such as Knokke, Equita Lyon, Wellington US, and the 2019 Longines Masters in Paris.

Professional golfer Nelly Korda saw her professional career take off in 2016, when she won the Sioux Falls LPGA Golf Tournament leg of the Symetra Tour. At 15, Nelly was already playing in the U.S. Women’s Open, before joining the US team in the Junior Solheim Cup, two years later.

Yuliya LevchenkoWith Nelly’s second LPGA triumph, in Adelaide, Australia is once again abuzz with the name Korda, following her father’s Australian Open title in 1998, her sister’s 2012 victory in this same tournament, and her brother’s win in the Australian Open Jr. Championships. In 2019, she won the Lacoste Ladies Open for her first participation.

In February 2021, Korda won the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida.

Yuliya Levchenko’s meteoric rise to the top of the ranks for high jump has been impressive – it takes most women jumpers 15 years to reach two meters, Levchenko crossed it in just seven. She went from clearing 1.70m to a performance of 2.01m at the 2017 World Championships in London.

She was the 2017 European U23 Championships gold medalist and the 2017 World Championships silver medalist, ranked second in the world for the 2017 season.

Created for ladies

For women who love timepieces that are both aesthetically pleasing and impressive from a technological standpoint, Richard Mille offers many watches that appeal to the female watch collector.

The iconic RM 07-01 LadiesAn iconic piece, the RM 07-01 Ladies represents the perfect mechanical synthesis between Haute Horlogerie elegance and the “tough love” provided by its materials in the creation of a sophisticated 21st-century companion for the modern woman.

A timepiece that embodies extreme mechanical perfection through its in-house designed calibre CRMA2, a highly skeletonised automatic movement developed specifically for the RM 07-01, it is also a beautiful watch, with the sensual and curvaceous lines of its tonneau-shaped case design and its dial with a gemstone set centre field.

The RM 037 Ladies’, a fully feminine interpretation of the original unisex RM 037, fully encapsulates beauty and elegance combined with technical features and attention to detail.

The skeletonised movement baseplate has a large date at 12 o’clock, and a function selector that allows the wearer to choose between winding, neutral or handsetting, all without the need to pull the crown in different positions.

Two pushers resembling drops of water, one on the left of the watch case for date adjustment and the other on the right for function selector allow for easy access to these functions. The action (of winding, neutral or handsetting) chosen will be indicated in a little window between 3 and 4 o’clock.

Apart from these extraordinary works of art and wonders of craftsmanship, female watch collectors have various choices of timepieces to marvel at.

The RM 037 Ladies’, a fully feminine interpretation of the original unisex RM 037.

Championing racing queens

Richard Mille himself a car enthusiast and collector, the brand is practically a household name in the world of motorsport, committed to supporting teams and drivers in Formula 1 over the years, with major partnerships such as Le Mans Classic and Nurburgring Classic, the establishment of prestigious events like Le Rallye des Legendes Richard Mille and the Chantilly Arts et Elegance Richard Mille.

While racing is a sport largely dominated by men, and while there have been prolific female race drivers, Richard Mille takes it a step further with these initiatives for female racing enthusiasts.

The Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille is a 100% female event dedicated to women passionate about motorsport and collecting cars, and the event just concluded its 21st edition.

Returning after a two-year absence, the renowned ladies’ classic car rally toured through the coasts and lush landscapes of Normandy, the Pays de la Loire and Brittany in May.

Le Rallye des princesses

After overnight stays at world-renowned resorts Le Touquet and Deau ville the five-day rally came to an end at la Baule on the spectacular Atlantic Coast in May, and after a 1500km journey, it was the #41 crew of Carole Gratzmuller and Elisa Laurent in their Chevrolet Corvette C2 who took the podium, having dominated the classification from start to finish.

The Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille is a regularity race run on open public roads, with the goal of staying as close as possible to the targetted average speed while covering a set distance along a scheduled itinerary. High-speed “racing” capabilities are thus not part of the selection criteria, and the role of the co-driver is crucial.

Armed with her stopwatches and regularity tables she has to guide her driver in time, and also in space, a question of mastering time and taming it to achieve the best possible result. The winners are the team that manages to navigate their way along the course whilst maintaining the ideal time between points.

The Richard Mille Racing team (from left) Lilou Wadoux, Sebastien Ogier and Charles Milesi. — Photos: Richard Mille

Richard Mille took its unwavering commitment to the next level with the formation of the Richard Mille Racing Team in 2020, made up of all-female drivers.

In 2022, the team replaced its driver line-up with a new trio that would offer new challenges whilst keeping a close eye on the performances of former members of the all-female team Beitske Visser, Sophia Florsch and Tatiana Calderon as they pursue their respective careers.

“Our initial aim was to call attention to the lack of opportunities for women. It was important for us to start with an all-female team to make our intentions known, compel people to think and challenge reputations. We have had two great years with three women who have proven themselves in an LMP2 prototype in ELMS and then WEC.

However, all the female drivers say they want more inclusivity by finding their place in mixed teams. Their dream comes true when men want to drive alongside them in the same team, and this is now our case with a trio promising a fulfilling season both from a human and sporting perspective,” said Amanda, who manages the racing team.

The current line-up includes Lilou Wadoux, who made a name for herself in one-make racing series, becoming the first female race-winner in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup. She is partnering with Charles Milesi, who won three races – including one on the twice-around-the-clock classic – in his first season in the FIA WEC in 2021.

A member of the Richard Mille family since 2016, Sebastien Ogier completes the team line-up for his Endurance debut after establishing himself as one of the greatest rally drivers in history.