Two weeks ago we had the pleasure to visit the two main production sites of Richard Mille in Les Breuleux, a small village at an elevation of 1,038 m (3,406 ft) above the sea level in the north-west of Switzerland, in the canton of Jura, not far from the busy watchmaking centers La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle.
Here is our report but first some history. The Swiss luxury brand was founded in 1999 by French businessman Richard Mille, who previously worked for Matra and started the watchmaking division for jewellery firm Mauboussin. Audemars Piguet joined the project as a shareholder.
The first watch, the RM 001, went on sale in 2001 and was an instant success thanks to its bold design and the use of new materials in watchmaking. An evolution of the RM 001, the RM 002 Tourbillon, marked the start of serial production at Richard Mille which kept accelerating year after year. In 2014 alone, Richard Mille introduced 14 new models.
Brand ambassadors like Rafael Nadal and Felipe Massa helped the brand to quickly become known to a wide audience.
The organization chart of Richard Mille is pretty complex and involves several companies. Each of these entities has special skills in a specific area of the production process.
Horometrie SA is Richard Mille's main legal entity. It was established by Richard Mille and Dominique Guenat in 2001 and it was later enlarged to also include Montres Valgine, a company originally founded by the Guenat family more than a century before.
Today Horometrie and Valgine combine their efforts and expertise in terms of the development, production and distribution of Richard Mille watches worldwide. It is here that new models are conceived and designed by Riched Mille's team of designers and engineers. And it is still here that all timepieces are hand finished, assembled and meticulously controlled before being shipped to boutiques and retailers worldwide.
A second factory, the ultra-modern ProArt SA, is dedicated to the production of Richard Mille watch cases and other components, including baseplates, pushers, bridges and bracelet parts in precious metals, titanium and composites.
Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier is Richard Milles's partner for most automatic and automatic chronograph movements while Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APR&P), Audemars Piguet's high-end watch making division, produces the most complicated movements of the Richard Mille collection including tourbillons and split seconds chronographs. Even when partners are involved, Richard Mille still controls and check all processes performing a quality control of each end product.
Our visit started from ProArt. Opened in April 2013, this 3,320 square meters factory has been designed by architects Chavanne and has been built using environmentally friendly materials. This building was the first in the Canton of Jura to utilise geothermal heating and cooling systems.
This factory now plays a crucial role for Richard Mille. In fact, the development of these complex cases made from high-tech materials and in small volumes is only possible through in-house production.
About 50 CNC programmers, inspectors and polishers operates in this facility adopting cutting edge machinery and technologies, a requirement for working on innovative materials such as grade 5 titanium, NTPT carbon, carbon nanotubes, ceramic TZP-N.
The CNC 5-axis machines, which can be equipped with a great variety of tools, are programmed using dedicated CAM software. The video below shows how the software allows to simulate the tool motion so preventing costly errors.
The cases of Richard Mille watches are very difficult to manufacture for their tripartite, tonneau shaped design. For example, the curved front and back bezel must match the caseband without even the slightest bit of tension to make sure that the sapphire glass will not be affected.
For the production of each Richard Mille case, 68 stamping operations are necessary on the basic forms of the three main component sections, (front bezel, caseband and back bezel), even before the actual cutting and milling can begin. The machine tooling process requires 8 days of machine adjustment for the bezel, 5 days for the caseband and 5 days for the case-back.
Each rough case involves 202 machining operations. Just imagine that the positive engraving of the Richard Mille name on the interior curving back of the watch alone takes a total of 45 minutes to complete.
Since every part must perfectly match to each other, excellent quality management is a must. Many of the measurements have tolerances of just 2 micrometers (just consider that a single hair is 50 times as thick).
Multisensor measuring machines are used to inspect the position and form features of the watch parts. Both optical and tactile measurements are performed.
But the quality control process is not assigned only to machines. From each titanium screw of the watchcase to the smallest parts of the movement, watchmakers examine all spare parts closely with the naked eye to make sure there are no scratches.
Once the cases and the other components manufactured at Pro Art are ready, they are shipped to the 1,000 square meters Horometrie factory where finishing, assembly and testing are performed.
As you would expect from such high-end timepieces, polishing and finishing operations are hand made by skilled and patient artisans. Actually, a large number of Richard Mille parts such as screws, bridges, tourbillon cages, winding barrel covers, springs, hands and numerous other parts including the watch case are finished and decorated by hand to guarantee the highest visual quality.
Functions are tested, separately and combined. Depending on the watch model, this might concern the correct changing of the date, chronograph functions, and power reserve indicators pertinent to each type.
Water resistance and shock tests at various G-force levels (up to 800G) are also performed on the assembled watch.
The final control testing assures that each timepiece runs perfectly and during this process each function of the watch will be tested 3 times. Mechanical watches may go through up to 50 or 60 different processes before the watch is approved for delivery.
Our visit to the Richard Mille factories confirmed us, once again, that bold technical innovation is not in conflict with traditional watchmaking techniques and that they can be successfully integrated.
Here is our report but first some history. The Swiss luxury brand was founded in 1999 by French businessman Richard Mille, who previously worked for Matra and started the watchmaking division for jewellery firm Mauboussin. Audemars Piguet joined the project as a shareholder.
The first watch, the RM 001, went on sale in 2001 and was an instant success thanks to its bold design and the use of new materials in watchmaking. An evolution of the RM 001, the RM 002 Tourbillon, marked the start of serial production at Richard Mille which kept accelerating year after year. In 2014 alone, Richard Mille introduced 14 new models.
Richard Mille RM 001 (2001)
Brand ambassadors like Rafael Nadal and Felipe Massa helped the brand to quickly become known to a wide audience.
The organization chart of Richard Mille is pretty complex and involves several companies. Each of these entities has special skills in a specific area of the production process.
Horometrie SA is Richard Mille's main legal entity. It was established by Richard Mille and Dominique Guenat in 2001 and it was later enlarged to also include Montres Valgine, a company originally founded by the Guenat family more than a century before.
Today Horometrie and Valgine combine their efforts and expertise in terms of the development, production and distribution of Richard Mille watches worldwide. It is here that new models are conceived and designed by Riched Mille's team of designers and engineers. And it is still here that all timepieces are hand finished, assembled and meticulously controlled before being shipped to boutiques and retailers worldwide.
A second factory, the ultra-modern ProArt SA, is dedicated to the production of Richard Mille watch cases and other components, including baseplates, pushers, bridges and bracelet parts in precious metals, titanium and composites.
Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier is Richard Milles's partner for most automatic and automatic chronograph movements while Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APR&P), Audemars Piguet's high-end watch making division, produces the most complicated movements of the Richard Mille collection including tourbillons and split seconds chronographs. Even when partners are involved, Richard Mille still controls and check all processes performing a quality control of each end product.
Our visit started from ProArt. Opened in April 2013, this 3,320 square meters factory has been designed by architects Chavanne and has been built using environmentally friendly materials. This building was the first in the Canton of Jura to utilise geothermal heating and cooling systems.
Pro Art factory
This factory now plays a crucial role for Richard Mille. In fact, the development of these complex cases made from high-tech materials and in small volumes is only possible through in-house production.
About 50 CNC programmers, inspectors and polishers operates in this facility adopting cutting edge machinery and technologies, a requirement for working on innovative materials such as grade 5 titanium, NTPT carbon, carbon nanotubes, ceramic TZP-N.
A CNC machine for complete machining of very complex six sided parts
Just machined: a titanium caseband
Oils (not beer) for the CNC machines
The cases of Richard Mille watches are very difficult to manufacture for their tripartite, tonneau shaped design. For example, the curved front and back bezel must match the caseband without even the slightest bit of tension to make sure that the sapphire glass will not be affected.
The three pictures above show the CNC machine used to produce the typical bezels from a solid titanium bar and the machined piece by splitting which two bezels are obtained
NTPT carbon uses ultra-thin plies with specific fiber orientation for improved mechanical properties as well as a unique look
NTPT carbon can be easily worked by tools and, once machined, it offers a top quality finish with amazing shades and reflections which remind the appearance of high quality wood
From a solid block to the final push pieces of the RM 61-01 Yohan Blake model
Multisensor measuring machines are used to inspect the position and form features of the watch parts. Both optical and tactile measurements are performed.
A multisensor measuring machine: it works with tolerances of 2 micrometers
But the quality control process is not assigned only to machines. From each titanium screw of the watchcase to the smallest parts of the movement, watchmakers examine all spare parts closely with the naked eye to make sure there are no scratches.
Quality control performed by specially skilled workers
Pro Art cases ready for being shipped to the Horometrie factory
Horometrie factory
Functions are tested, separately and combined. Depending on the watch model, this might concern the correct changing of the date, chronograph functions, and power reserve indicators pertinent to each type.
Water resistance and shock tests at various G-force levels (up to 800G) are also performed on the assembled watch.
The final control testing assures that each timepiece runs perfectly and during this process each function of the watch will be tested 3 times. Mechanical watches may go through up to 50 or 60 different processes before the watch is approved for delivery.
Our visit to the Richard Mille factories confirmed us, once again, that bold technical innovation is not in conflict with traditional watchmaking techniques and that they can be successfully integrated.
