Hedonistic Horology

Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille Europe, Middle East and Africa tells us why watches are indeed timeless pieces.

What are your current plans for the Middle East, specifically Qatar?

To be honest with you I would say that Qatar is one of our best supported markets in the region, if not the world. The Qatar market has got behind the brand since the very beginning and our friends at Ali bin Ali have been really supportive. They really understand the brand as well as the watches and I think it’s a market that appreciates that we’re not a brand that is restricted by 100 years of history. They look at what we are doing because it’s interesting and fresh as opposed to other brands that have one hundred years of history behind them which can mean that they are unable to take a fresh approach and are restricted in their development. How does the Middle East compare to other places in the world?

As a brand we’re pretty evenly spread. My part of the company takes care as the partner of Richard Mille in Europe, Middle East and Africa. There’s another part which is in Asia and another part which is North, South America and the Caribbean. I think to be fair my region and Asia’s a little bit more than the other ones, but, that’s because we have got a lot faster ahead with women’s watches for example. We are a lot further ahead than other places in the world which is particularly interesting. The Middle East has a real passion for high-end design. Who do you feel is your target audience?

We aren’t a brand that sets out for a particular age range or a price bracket. We’ll look at how we can set a new material with diamonds, for example, in the case of a ladies watch, then, maybe I will say ok that’s interesting and the aesthetic is very beautiful. I mean what’s interesting about this topic is I think that our average age is getting younger every year as people don’t necessarily want a piece of jewellery that belonged to their parents from when they were 21. They want something which is more personal and indicative of their personality to reflect the way that the world is changing. People will say I want to buy a Richard Mille as it reflects me and my success as an individual. How did you get involved with Richard Mille?

Richard and I have been friends for about 25 years and we were both in a very similar industry. He said he really wanted to do his own watch brand I told him he was mad and that he shouldn’t do it. Once he’d went off and done it I told him that I truly think he has something amazing - it accelerated from there. Richard Mille is something I’m extremely passionate about. When we first met back in 2006 we have always been very frank with one another and we found that we had a lot of common, outside of the watch industry and business. We pride ourselves on how open we are with each other and I think that’s one of the reasons why we work so well together.

How would you describe the women who wear such craftsmanship?

There’s a certain level of discovery when people shop now and there is less impulsive buys. Our global clients look into particular stores to see what collections that they can uncover, where they haven’t been able to in the likes of Hong Kong or Milan. Staff are trained to make everyone feel at home and you never know who the woman walking through the door in jeans and sneakers - at the end of the day, they are our clients and they are not necessarily going to be standing at the door dripping with jewellery with their driver waiting outside in a Rolls Royce. I met a woman a couple of years ago at our Geneva trade fair and she came and bought a few watches from our collection. After sitting down for a coffee with her she revealed that she’d just returned from the couture shows in Paris and the reason she buys couture is not only because the way it fits but the reassurance that when she walks into a room of 200 to 300 people that she wasn’t going to be standing next to someone with the same or indeed similar dress. This is how she feels about Richard Mille watches as she knows pretty well that she isn’t going to bump into anyone wearing the same as opposed to a brand that is circulated widely. We love that our clients actually wear our watches and don’t hide them away in a safe never to see the light of day.

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