Letter from the Publisher

Are you planning to work with other
sports personalities in this way?
Yes, one of our new releases for 2011 is the
RM 038 Tourbillon Bubba Watson. 32-year-old
Bubba Watson is currently establishing himself
as one of the best golfers of his generation. He is
a self-taught player and has never taken a single
lesson. At 191 cm tall and 82 kg on the scales,
he has one of the most impressive physiques on
the circuit. He also has one of the most powerful
drives, and since 2006, he has been the player
who hits the furthest on the US PGA tour.
To promote your watches, you have also
created billboard advertising campaigns,
and there too, you are keeping off the
beaten track. For the RM 016, a visual
shows an ultra-sexy lady holding a monkey
wrench; and for the RM 020 pocket-watch,
a woman’s hand grabs the object from
the jeans of a bare-chested hunk. Aren’t
you afraid of shocking people?
People love it! Of course I have been
censured in certain countries such as the
United States or in the Middle East. But
that’s not a problem, because I’m not
looking to create a disturbance. I just
don’t want haute horology to become a
ghetto; I want it to open up to the world.
And what do you see as the solution to
avoid this?
Watchmaking must look to art, architecture,
sports, lifestyle… With the RM 020, I started
off with a more traditional approach, with a
majestic view of a watch. Then I realized that
even though it was extremely technically
advanced, this pocket-watch was very
much a lifestyle object. So I decided to do
something completely different with a pair
of unbuttoned jeans and a woman’s hands. I
don’t make watches to be kept in safes; they
are designed to be worn—and that’s exactly
what the ad conveys!
top left
The RM 029 oversize date automatic is housed in a 48x39.7mm case that
is crafted in 18-karat red gold, 18-karat white gold or titanium.
top right
The RMAR1 movement, which beats inside the RM 030 automatic with
declutchable rotor, boasts a novel system that prevents over-winding of
the movement.
above left
The round case design of the RM 033 Ultra Flat automatic measures 45.7mm
in diameter and is just 6.3mm thick, with the curving caseback and spline
case screws that are characteristic of Richard Mille watches.
above right
The skeletonized, manual-winding tourbillon RM 038 ‘Bubba Watson’ is
the fruit of another collaborative partnership between Richard Mille and the
world of athletics.
Tourbillons 149 •