Launched in 2017, this is one of the newest watches on our list. There are tool and even sports watches, and then there is the Richard Mille 67-02, often designed to be adapted to specific sports and athletes. It’s best to think of this as the ultimate high-performance watch. The flat, slightly curved case is constructed using a combination of TPT® composite materials, grade-5 titanium, and an elastic wristband to keep the weight to an absolute minimum. The result is a watch that weighs a mere 32 grams and has been used by athletes while competing, most notably tennis star Rafael Nadal. The movement and the case feel like one unit, with as much removed from the movement as possible to save weight. This is a no-compromise approach to creating a watch that can stand up to the most intense, real-world use as humanly possible.
Photo: Courtesy Richard Mille
Richard Mille changed the game to push watches as far into the future as possible by not compromising on production techniques and material usage. The brand made novel progress in case and movement construction and has paved the way for a new generation of watch manufacturing. They also challenged how we think of the relationship between brand and ambassador, pairing the watch itself with athletes under the stress of competition.
From the article by Allen Farmelo, Paige Reddinger, Victoria Gomelsky, Oren Hartov, Blake Buettner
