Luxe watchmaker Richard Mille proves he can cater to a female audience without compromising his signature look: big cases, bold colors, interesting case materials and openworked movements. Just take “big” off that list and you’ve got the Richard Mille RM 07-04, the brand’s first sports watch for women. This groovy, candy colored, is essentially a smaller version of a typical Richard Mille men’s watch, and that’s a good thing.
The case measures a mere 30.50 mm wide, although it is on the long side, at 44.9mm. It’s thickness is 10.35mm, which is perfectly acceptable for a sports watch. The colorful cases are made of quartz TPT fibers that are aligned in layers and heated together. The process creates a damascene surface with striations that are totally unique to each watch. One of the six new models is made of carbon TPT threads, which has a slightly different look.
The watches were inspired by, and built for, Richard Mille’s female athlete ambassadors, which it refers to as partners, including a world number one golfer, two track & field champions and a Winter Olympics triple gold medallist. They include Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam; high jumper Yuliya Levchenko; snowboarder and skier Ester Ledecká; golfer Nelly Korda; and race car drivers Aurora Straus and Margot Laffite,
To endure the rigors of their sporting activities, the watch is built tough, with a special shock absorbing system – it can withstand accelerations of over 5,000 g’s says Richard Mille – and it is built with components that are temperature resistant. The baseplate and bridges are made of rigid titanium that has been black PVD coated. The automatic movement has a 50-hour power reserve. The bright case and bracelet colors are not just for beauty (although there is that). Richard Mille says they’re also mood enhancers: “Bright, warm colours encourage the hormone dopamine, which improves motivation, while pastel shades contribute to relaxation by promoting secretion of oxytocin.