Switching It Up

Don’t be fooled by the candy-coloured charms of Richard Mille’s first women’s sports watch collection—these timepieces are as tough as they come.

- Alvin Wong

BEAUTY OR BRAWN? Do we really have to choose? For far too long, watch brands have erred on the side of caution when it comes to making watches, picking one over the other while falling short on both.

Perhaps independent brand Richard Mille has been pondering this for a while, too. After all, the 22-year-old Swiss watchmaker had practically built its entire legacy on hyper-macho, testosterone-charged timepieces. The worlds of Formula One racing, men’s tennis and professional cycling are its playgrounds. And alpha males at the top of their game, like sprinter Yohan Blake, golfer Bubba Watson and musician Pharrell Williams, are its ambassadors. Maybe this is why it has taken Richard Mille 22 years to roll out its first sports watch for women. Clearly, it isn’t an easy thing to get right.