An Unfiltered Conversation With Alexandre Mille, Son Of Richard Mille

Alexandre Mille is an experience. He enters the studio in a whirlwind of energy, his smile and laughter capable of powering a small apartment. Most heirs to an empire are reserved and choose their words carefully. Alexandre is not like most heirs. The middle son of watchmaker Richard Mille is passionate and charming, and has a lot of stories to share. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

We chat with brand director Alexandre about his childhood, the state of watchmaking, and the future of the brand. The interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.

What was a young Alex like?

I was a ‘troubled’ kid. I didn’t excel at school and I got kicked out of a few middle schools, so they had to put me in a boarding school when I was 12. I was lovely with my family and close circle, but I found the outside world challenging. That got better once I went to that boarding school.

I learned ways of working and learning that gave structure to my life.

Why do you think you were such a troublemaker?

I have no idea. I might need to see a psychiatrist for that [laughs]. But I’m way better. I’ve been through one of those points in your life where you must take the time to reflect and learn from your past. The person you are today grows and learns from those experiences. I’m very happy with the childhood I had.

Do you remember any specific childhood incidents that made you who you are today?

My childhood was full of happy memories. To me, it’s more about meeting people as you go along, how you let those people influence the way you see things a bit, what you take from meeting them, and how that makes you grow. Every day, even now, I do the same thing. I learn from people constantly, regardless of their age or generation. Everybody has something to teach you. That’s what I’m really trying to make people understand: just
because you’re older doesn’t mean you can’t learn from someone who’s 18. They might have many things to teach you.

What is your earliest memory of watchmaking?

My first memory would be the Flik-Flak watches my mum bought us when we were children. I remember seeing the brand recently in Geneva and it was such a big part of my childhood that it’s still very heavily imprinted in my memory.

I do remember that my dad gave my big brother an automatic Mauboussin watch. I took it apart when I was around 8 years old. That watch has an enduring fascination for me because it was sleek and elegant. I don’t know where it is right now, but it was still working last I saw it!

I think that’s the moment I got hooked on watchmaking. I struggled for weeks to dismantle it. And when I did, I was transfixed by the rotor. It’s funny in retrospect because I really am obsessed with movement. I love when there’s animation, which is probably why I love Richard Mille watches so much. We show everything, so you can see how the watch is alive. The balance wheel is the most obvious, but in watches like the RM 033, you can see and feel the rotor.

Watches are all about emotion, but, to me, sensation is just as important.

Let’s go back to when you were 22 and your dad called you to join. Can you take me through that conversation?

I still remember the phone call I had with my dad when he asked me to come work for the company. I was living in Brittany at the time, interning as part of my cinema studies programme. He asked if I could move to Paris. He thought that there was a lot more that could be done with video for the brand’s communication, and he wanted me take it on. He had always avoided video before because of quality concerns. To create these videos properly would require 3D rendering and he had always refused this. So, he asked me if I could come to Paris to work for the brand, and I did.

When I first started, I didn’t create any videos. I created website banners. This was about 10 years ago. Whenever anyone asked for a website banner, I was the one in charge of taking pictures, doing the layout, resizing, and so on. Slowly but surely, I was able to show the team my video production skills and gain the trust of my colleagues and the communications team. From there, I got to create more ambitious videos.

Did you put a lot of pressure on yourself when you first joined?

I did. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders when I first joined. It’s funny because I was just doing the website banners. But, with time, you learn that most of the pressure that you personally feel is all self-imposed. I’m more at peace now.

Previously, it might have felt a bit more stressful because I was working all on my own: it was mostly just me and my camera, and I was trying to do my best with what I had. Today, I can rely on so many more people that the pressure is spread more evenly.

How did your relationship with your family change after you joined the company and over the years?

With my dad, it strengthened our relationship because we barely knew each other before. We have a great relationship and I truly love him. If you had asked me when I was 20, I would have been confused about that, but everyone will tell you he’s one of the sweetest and most interesting people you could ever meet. He has so many stories and knowledge to impart, and he’s so smart with people that every single conversation with him can be a life lesson.

My relationship with the rest of my family hasn’t changed that much. I already idolised my big brother because I could see how hard he was working and all the effort he put into the brand. He’s also one reason the brand is so strong. He puts so much effort into building its image. Both my brothers have always been my best friends and I’m closer to them now because we’re all working together and see each other almost every day. I’d say that’s the best aspect of work.

My mum is proud. Even though I should call and visit her way more often than I do, she’s very happy that I’m providing for the family.

Finally, I’ve always looked up to my elder sister and working so closely with her is the best part of my job. We don’t need to say anything because it’s like we can read each other’s minds. We think the same way, which makes sense because we were raised together, and I always feel that we’re the same person. When you put us together, we’re unstoppable—it’s really the best relationship I could ask for.

When you were younger, you said that you weren’t quite sure about how you felt about your dad. Was there a specific reason why?

I didn’t live with my dad when I was younger and didn’t know much about what he was doing until I was about 22. It’s no secret that my parents split up when I was 2. It’s the feeling you get towards the parent that you’re not living with, the angst you have as a typical teenager. But once I saw what he’d accomplished and seeing all the people he provided for, all the people I could learn from, and all the people I’ve met thanks to this brand, I couldn’t help but to respect him and my feelings changed. Because of where I am today, I would never judge my dad for his choices. There’s no need for remorse and regret, especially with your family. With family, I think you should be at peace with who they are and love them as they are.

What are some of business lessons you’ve learned from your father?

My dad’s philosophy is not to run away from problems, but to welcome them. It was one of the first lessons he ever taught me when I broke up with my first girlfriend at 11 years old. He told me that we need to learn that problems are a good thing because you grow from experiencing them. Every day, we face new problems, and together, we learn how to address them and grow as a team.

The thing that I learned most from my dad just from being around him is that you need
to stay humble and kind in all circumstances. He genuinely believes that, ultimately, people will remember you for your kindness and who you truly are, not only for your success.

What is your goal for Richard Mille?

I want to make sure that this brand will still be around in 200 years, and managed the same way that it has been for the past 22 years. I just really want to ensure that our philosophy, our management, the way that we develop and create our watches, the way we sell them and market them—that we’re upholding these principles and that being kind towards everyone is still integral to the brand.

We still have a lot of the people around that joined 20 years ago. One of the first people who ever worked with my dad is still with us today and the only reason she’s leaving soon is because she’s retiring—she will have spent 23 years at the company. I think this says a lot about who we are as a brand. We’re all here to take care of each other and we want to successfully keep this mentality for the decades and centuries to come.

Talking about pushing the envelope, how does the new St. Martin’s boutique push it?

Above all, the way this space is imagined and designed is completely different, so in that sense it pushes the envelope a lot. One of my dad’s best friends and partners, Dave Tan, had the opportunity to take possession of this space. He called up my dad saying he wanted this space to really reflect Richard’s mind. Initially, we were all a bit unsure, but after working on the layout of the space, we can see how it does exactly that.

The front of this space is the boutique, but when we were coming up with the plans for this, I wanted it to have something of a speakeasy, because of how fascinated I am by them. We approached it the way I think artists approach their work: if you truly like another artist’s work, you wouldn’t just replicate it exactly but rather digest the essence of it and come up with your own idea. And I think we’ve successfully done that with this new concept. Every room represents a different aspect of Richard Mille’s (the man’s) mind but also different aspects of Richard Mille (the brand).

The general idea was to offer our visitors the experience of being insiders and part of the family. As with any of our events, it always feels laid back, never too stiff, something that’s very easy and allows you to spend time with your family.

It’s important to us that our clients be able to enjoy events with their families, and it’s always upsetting for us to see our clients needing childcare to attend our events. Family is everything. So, when we were thinking about this space, we wanted to be sure our clients felt their children were always welcome. It shouldn’t be a ‘pompous’ space where you’re drinking cocktails and feeling afraid to touch anything. The space needs to feel alive.

What is an important truth about watchmaking to you that very few people agree with?

The one belief I have that people disagree with, when it comes to watchmaking or luxury, is that you can have fun with it every step of the way. For us, fun is crucial to developing, creating, marketing, and communicating about watches. It’s not like we need to prove how serious we are; the watches speak for themselves.

While most of the industry believes that from the beginning to the end, everything needs to be serious, our light-hearted approach is tied to how young we are as a brand. My dad and all our business partners love living. The consequence of this is seen through our watches, like the RM 88 Smiley or our communications around the RM 38-02 Bubba Watson with cartoons and jokes.

Likewise, the colours we use are often called outrageous at first. But while they may be unexpected, the way we develop these colours takes a lot of time and effort. We just announced a new, special grey Quartz TPT for the RM 65-01 that took us more than four years to develop. Anything new always involves important technical challenges.

Photography Joel Low
Styling Chia Wei Choong
Grooming Keith Bryant Lee, using Dior Beauty
Photography Assistant Eddie Teo