Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Volume 7 of B.H. Magazine, order your copy now.
Richard Mille has always operated on the principle that a boutique should be an experience rather than a transaction.
The brand's first Australian outpost, now open within Capella Sydney, makes that point emphatically across 270 square metres of intentional design, with layered materiality and a hospitality concept calibrated specifically to Sydney.
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Situated one block from Circular Quay in the emerging Lands by Capella precinct, the location places Richard Mille at an intersection of tourism, the city’s financial hub, and the cultural draw of the Harbour foreshore. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge are both within easy walking distance – context that carries weight for an international maison making its first permanent commitment to the Australian market.
Rather than walls, the space uses the brand's signature "broken glass" architectural motif. It’s a geometric intervention that creates distinct zones while preserving sightlines and inviting movement rather than imposing formality.
What distinguishes this location is the programming beyond the watches. There’s a meditation room at one end, a sports bar at the other. For a maison whose timepieces routinely eclipse the price of a two-bedroom Sydney apartment, it somehow lands just right.
B.H. Magazine: Richard Mille is arguably the most sport-aligned watch brand in the world. How did that connection come about – was it always part of the plan
Alexandre Mille: Yes, right from the beginning, because it came from our father's passion for cars. He’s more passionate about cars than watches, to be honest. That obsession was why almost all of our watches – apart from two – are open-back and completely skeletonised.
For him, it’s like having a car and always being able to see the engine. And the consequence of that is you cannot hide the movement. Every little mistake, every shortcut you might have taken – it's all visible. So you need to work harder on the finishing and on every detail.
Lightness has become almost like a philosophy for the brand. Is it still about performance, or something purer?
Amanda Mille: Both – and comfort, which people sometimes forget about. Comfort was one of the key pillars at the very beginning of the brand, and it's still something we work very hard on.
Alexandre Mille: It comes back to wanting to show the movement. Once you make that choice, everything else follows. Every watch we make, except one, has a curved case back. It sounds simple, but look at any other watch brand – none of them do it, because it's extremely difficult to execute. It requires different machinery, different finishing techniques, and even changes how you build the movement.
But the difference it makes on the wrist is extraordinary. You can have a large watch, a heavy complication, and it still disappears on the wrist because it follows the curve of your arm. The RM 032, for instance – it's a big watch, it's substantial, but in carbon it's light, and with that curved back, you forget it's there.
What makes someone like Mark Cavendish the right fit for the brand
Alexandre Mille: I'll give you an example. Recently, my father asked me to find the right person for a new type of partnership. We took our time, looked around, and eventually someone approached us. Everything looked good on paper, and we really wanted to work with them, but there was one condition – they had to meet my sister, and she had to say yes.
Amanda Mille: I'm the crusher. It works like a relationship – same as family and friends. If it's the right person, you feel it.
Your athletes wear their watches in the real world. What does that real-world testing teach you, and how does it shape what comes next?
Alexandre Mille: It's everything. Our father was obsessed with making a watch that could withstand serious shock, so at BaselWorld, he'd show people the watch, let them admire it, then throw it on the floor to prove it could survive. At that time, a tourbillon that could withstand a table knock was remarkable. Everything built from there.
When you move to Felipe Massa in Formula One, suddenly the question is: can it withstand the G-forces a driver experiences at speed? You wear it, it breaks, you do the autopsy, and you build again.
We still operate that way today. A partner recently texted me a few weeks into wearing a new reference, apologising because something had happened to it. I told him, “That's exactly why you're wearing it”. Send it back, and we'll learn from it.
F1 feels central to the brand story and the energy around it has intensified. What has the paddock taught you about materials and precision under stress
Alexandre Mille: Drivers are no longer permitted to wear watches during races, so the learning has shifted to the technical team level – in design and materials.
Amanda Mille: That's where partnerships like McLaren become so valuable. They've helped us access materials and ways of working we wouldn't have reached on our own. When you realiseyou're not the only one with knowledge in a particular area, and open yourself up to collaboration, you can go so much deeper. It works both ways.
How do you sustain relationships with both Ferrari and McLaren simultaneously?
Alexandre Mille: They're completely different partnerships. Same industry – cars, Formula One – but entirely different brands, different drivers, different mindsets. That's what allows us to develop watches that are radically different from one another. If you look at what we've done with McLaren versus Ferrari, they’re entirely distinct.
Amanda Mille: And loyalty matters. When we signed with McLaren, we were genuinely thrilled to be part of that history. When Ferrari came to us, we were equally honoured. We never see one as more important than the other. Every new addition to the family is a plus. When it came to renewals, the decision was simple – renew with both, because each brings something different.
What drew you to cycling, and what can the sport teach watchmaking about endurance?
Alexandre Mille: I think cycling is still an untamed discipline for us. We learned a great deal through our partnership with Mark [Cavendish], but it’s an area we want to explore more deeply. The performance is different, the bike’s engineering is different, and the endurance required is unlike anything in motorsport. There's a lot of territory between cycling and what Richard Mille could develop for that world. It's something we're genuinely looking into.
Amanda Mille: Cycling is, if anything, an even bigger personal passion for our father than motorsport. And carbon – which is so central to cycling – was something we explored very early, long before it became standard in watchmaking.
What makes partnerships like those with Rafael Nadal and Mark Cavendish genuine, and why do they last a decade when so little in luxury does?
Amanda Mille: Because you never leave your family behind. We choose people for the right reasons – for who they are, not just what they’ve achieved. Of course we're fortunate to work with the best in their fields, but that's a bonus, not the deciding factor.
When people give you that much trust, that much of themselves, how could you ever walk away? We call them partners in life. We go out together; we face difficult times together. That's what makes it strong – and we're genuinely honoured they trust us.