Comments on: Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon

By: Robert Farago

Robert Farago — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 16:08:53 +0000

In reply to Ralf.

The point of luxury products? For whom? For the maker, it’s about making money (as it is for mass market products). For the buyer it’s about quality and exclusivity, and not necessarily in that order. Right?

I write for a watch blog because I love writing and I love watches.

I don’t hate people who have money. I respect the hard work and ingenuity required to generate wealth. Or maintain it.

I do have some money. What else would you like to know?

By: Jordan River

Jordan River — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 08:01:35 +0000

In reply to Ralf.

Hiya Ralf – what do you think of RM? Always interested in the comments and differing opinions. I like the irreverent style of Rob as opposed to the breathless kowtowing to a watch that you read on so many other sites which bore me with what is effectively brand PR.

Anyway, you joined this discussion, welcome and let’s hear your thoughts on RM or the high horology market.

By: Ralf

Ralf — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 04:35:50 +0000

Does Rob just not understand the point of luxury products in general, or RM in particular? Why does he write for a watch blog? Does he just hate people with money because he himself doesn’t have any? So. Many. Questions.

By: Jordan River

Jordan River — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 01:36:30 +0000

How many spaces indeed Oscar. Still RM is a brilliant salesman and a storyteller on par with Hans Christian Andersen. While ‘we’ may not ever chose to showoff in this manner we can spot the vulgarity or arrogance or playfulness of those that do. In fact what his customers spend on one of his watches may well be the same % of income that the average person spends. Or maybe not.
His design language breaks all the moulds of what a watch should look like; well all the moulds except for Swatch, which answers your question of just where the decimal point should be if this was manufactured en masse. Not fair? Hmm, the movements are always interestingly complex so move that decimal to the right two spaces. Done.
I love the “racquet racket” though, reminds me of the trench watch case protectors. What are they called? Some kind of cage?

By: Oscar Klosoff

Oscar Klosoff — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 16:15:41 +0000

I think it was an economics professor that explained economies of scale by claiming that if you built the basest Chevy in your garage (this was back when there was way less tech in cars), it would cost at least a million dollars. Richard Mille, who admittedly is doing substantial design work, not fashion design but real clean sheet engineering stuff, is rather an example of this. In mass quantities, the decimal on the MSRP would shift how many spaces to the left?

By: texastimex

texastimex — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:19:00 +0000

The salesperson part is definitely true. Mille realized that at a certain wealth threshold watches are a veblen good, and went hard on that opportunity. Why sell 50 watches for $5,000 when you can sell one for $250,000 and take the same revenue. It is shocking how successful the brand has become within the watch world. On revenue it outsells every brand except Apple, Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Longines, Patek, Audemars, and Tissot. No LVMH brands, and only one outlier Richemont brand outsell Mille.

Mille likely holds a lot of the blame for watch brands in the $1,000 – $10,000 range making arbitrary price increases. The problem for brands in that range is that the buyers care about their money. Sure they may choose a more expensive watch as a status marker, but it better have the specs and history to back up that price.

The challenge Mille is going to face is what you flag. There are only so many ultra rich people that even with his limited production Mille is going to hit a wall. Only so many people have the money or lack of respect for it to drop six figures+ on a watch with questionable long term value. In a certain respect Mille is the new Franck Muller, although with a bigger peak, which means he will eventually end up like the old one.

I really don’t like brands that hype their finishing, but the problem with advanced materials is that that quickly become regularly available. “My Richard Mille has a carbon fiber reinforced plastic case (TitaCarb® to make that sound fancy).” “Sweet, so does my G-Shock.”

And Mille’s designs are nothing special. I look at a regular Hublot compared to the Royal Oak that almost certainly influenced it and I see a vulgar, less attractive in every way knock-off. I look at a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang compared to a Richard Mille and I’m not sure which is the better design.