Why Are Richard Mille Watches So Expensive?

Luxury watch brands typically need both technical achievements and distinctive styling to succeed, and Richard Mille has plenty of both. The young brand has been making waves in the luxury watch market since it was founded in 1999, and Richard Mille watches are expensive–even by luxury watch standards. They can run from about $65,000 on the low end all the way to several million dollars. But why are Richard Mille watches so expensive?

Richard Mille may be relatively new to the luxury watch market, but they’ve already made a huge impact. The movement engineering and finishing are outstanding, but that doesn’t fully explain astronomical resale prices. They have some of the best marketing in the luxury watch world, and they’ve absolutely caught on fire. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept was one of the first watches to succeed in the avant-garde “ultra-luxury sports watch” space, and RM just takes that idea even further.

The Richard Mille brand effectively straddles the fine line between boundary-pushing luxury design and garishness. Consider Mille’s own words on the subject of his watches:

I want people who see my watches to go, ‘Wow!’ And the more they look at them, the more they go into it, the more I want them to say, ‘Wow!’ I work on a razor blade between gimmickry and amazement.

Richard Mille

The RM 35-2, one of the Richard Mille Rafael Nadal models, once retailed for around $135,000. However, since this now-discontinued model is so hard to find, it is currently valued anywhere from $350,000 to $425,000 on the secondary market.

The watch puts Richard Mille’s words into practice, with both luxury aesthetics and reliable performance at the forefront of the technical design. While the Richard Mille brand may be famous for its sports sponsorships – ranging from Formula 1 to men’s tennis – it’s not all about celebrity endorsement.

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The RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire had a retail price of $2.2 million, but now it sells for about double that, making it one of the most expensive watches in the world. Each “Crystal” Richard Mille watch features a case forged from sapphire and the elegant, weightless nature of a tourbillon timepiece. Even a quick look at the featured photos of these luxury watches reveals the technical expertise and sense of style required for their making:

So what is it that makes Richard Mille watches so expensive? Let’s take a deep dive into the how and why of this luxury watch brand – including a brief history of the brand, the core elements of a Richard Mille watch, and a few Richard Mille watches to keep on your shortlist.

Why Richard Mille is So Expensive: The Core Elements

While Richard Mille enjoys celebrity endorsements, the key to the price tag of the watches really is in the core elements of the timepieces. These elements include the design, the materials, and most importantly their highly technical movements.

My goal was to create a new, ultra-high-end luxury segment within the high-end watch business, and I was very eager to know what could come of it.

Richard Mille to LoveLuxury

Movement

Renaud et Papi is one of the most highly renowned watch movement makers in the world. Although collectors often think of them as Audemars Piguet’s in-house watchmaker, AP actually only owns 78% of the company. In fact, Renaud et Papi insists on being able to continue to make advanced movements for brands other than AP, and they save some of their most incredible movements for Richard Mille. Thus, the pedigree of RM movements is second to none. Almost every one is skeletonized and highly visible to the wearer.

Richard Mille watches generally have a tourbillon, a rotating cage that brings a new level of sophistication to the escapement. The movements are built with a range of materials, often including titanium.

Design and Engineering

It’s easy to spot a Richard Mille watch: if it looks like a cross between a Formula 1 race car and a high-end timepiece, you’ve found one. This idiosyncratic look has helped build the Richard Mille brand. The design isn’t entirely for show, either. RM watches are highly engineered to withstand shocks, and the “Bubba Watson” in particular is known for its ability to withstand 10,000 G’s of acceleration!

Materials

Richard Mille is famous for using unique case and baseplate materials, such as carbon nanotubes, gold fused with carbon and toughened ceramic. The materials bring resilience to the mix.

Besides the famous multimillion-dollar RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire, the Richard Mille brand has released a range of watches for considerably less money. Here are a few of the best Richard Mille watches to keep in mind.

Learn more: Richard Mille Prices: Historical and Current From Actual Sales Numbers

A Brief History of the Richard Mille Brand

As an eponymous company, to understand the man is to understand the brand. Richard Mille started his career within the 1970s with Finhor, a French watchmaking company. After the local company was bought by Matra in 1981, Mille rose through the ranks until he started managing the company’s entire watchmaking operation, focusing on brands like Cupillard Rieme and Yema.

Mille left Matra’s watchmaking operations (which by then had been bought by Seiko) a decade later to start making watches for Mauboussin, a jewelry firm that was new to luxury watches.

Seven years later, Richard Mille finally started his own brand, collaborating with established player Audemars Piguet.

“In 2001 the RM 001 marked the beginning of a new era in watchmaking. Thus, the first Richard Mille watch was born, whose release revolutionized the world of fine watchmaking.”

Description of the RM001 from the Richard Mille website

All of this to say: Richard Mille had nearly three decades of watchmaking experience by the time he started his own brand just before the new millennium.

RM001: The First Richard Mille Watch

With his technical expertise and intimate knowledge of the luxury look, Richard Mille released his first watch just two years after founding his company. The RM001, released in 2001, was a tourbillon timepiece designed to bring watchmaking up to speed with the 21st century.

It’s no secret that one part of the allure of Richard Mille watches is the high profile endorsements from celebrities (like Natalie Portman and Jackie Chan), as well as athlete sponsorships ranging from Formula One drivers to Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal.

Since 2001, Richard Mille has released dozens of watch editions, with their $2.2-million sapphire-case watch grabbing headlines a few years ago. Richard Mille released the RM 52-01 Blue Sapphire Tourbillon Skull Edition in 2020 with a retail price tag of $2.65 million.

Since then, many people have been wondering how and why Richard Mille watches are so expensive.

The Best Watches from Richard Mille

Richard Mille RM 028 Divers Titanium Skeletonized

Price: $90,000 to $150,000

Richard Mille Extra Flat Automatic RM 033 RG A

Price: $100,000 to $150,000

Richard Mille RM 35-02 Automatic Raphael Nadal

Price: $400,000 to $510,000

Richard Mille RM 032 Automatic Chronograph Dive Titanium Skeletonized

Price: $115,000 to $135,000

Richard Mille Extra Flat Automatic White Gold RM 033 WG R

Price: $85,000 to $95,000

In a phrase, Richard Mille watches are so expensive because of the expertise, image, and reputation that these elegant watches bear. Want to learn more about the Richard Mille brand or find other luxury watches? Check out our dedicated Richard Mille brand page!