Moodboard photograph: Julien T Hamon‘We have distilled dierent cultures
and codes into a harmonious whole’
EVERY RICHARD MILLE DESIGN
BEGINS WITH HAND-DRAWN
SKETCHES. GUENAT’S (ABOVE
LEFT) WERE INFORMED BY HER
LOVE OF SCI-FI FILMS, ART
DECO ARCHITECTURE AND
ANCIENT FOLK ART, DISPLAYED
ON THE MOODBOARDS
PINNED TO HER STUDIO
WALLS (TOP RIGHT). EACH OF
THE TEN TALISMAN DESIGNS
IS INDIVIDUALLY DECORATED
IN VARIATIONS OF GOLD,
DIAMONDS, MOTHER OF
PEARL, ONYX AND BLACK
SAPPHIRES (ABOVE RIGHT)Since it launched in 2001, the Richard Mille brand has
made its name producing super high-tech timepieces
in space-grade materials. This year, it partnered
with North Thin Ply Technology, the University of
Manchester and McLaren Applied Technologies to
develop a fabric-layering process that incorporates
graphene and produces ultra-light results in carbon and
quartz designs. Such collaborations make sense, as
Richard Mille watches are destined for wear in extreme
sporting arenas, such as Formula 1 and international
tennis. Rafael Nadal wears the ‘RM 027’, weighing just
20g yet crafted to withstand the extreme shocks of a
tennis ace at play.
The Talisman collection is created with a similarly
high-spec technical remit, including an in-house
automatic tourbillon movement that weighs just
8g and is just 6.3mm tall. Watch engineering at this
level has to be super-ine to allow for varied layers of
precious materials and the undulations of diferent
inishing techniques, such as sandblasting and
polishing. It helps that engineers and designers work in
tandem at Richard Mille.
‘We have been able to distil diferent cultures and
codes wonderfully, and my ine jewellery expertise hasenabled us to enhance forms and combine materials,’
Guenat explains. You can see it in the distinct chevron
motif that recurs across the Talisman dials. ‘It was an
abstract way of playing with mother of pearl.’ There’s
also tension between the polished gleam of gold and
the brilliance of diamonds, so that the complex and
varied geometric lines create ‘a harmonious whole’.
There are ten variations of the Talisman, though
there was only meant to be one. ‘I realised that, as
a woman, I like being ofered a choice,’ Guenat says.
Each iteration includes diamonds of various sizes,
shimmering slivers of mother of pearl, glossy onyx
detailing and stealthy black sapphires. The variety of
setting patterns explain why Guenat’s oice walls
are lined with the frames of chocolate-box interiors:
‘They inspire the gem-setting paths,’ she explains.
Guenat is a shy character. Yet her design vision is
perfectly at ease with the tough-tech brand’s avant-
garde aesthetic. ‘I was tremendously excited to work
with the speciicity of a watch case and the technical
beauty within. If you think about it, the lifelike quality
of a mechanical object that beats out the rhythm of
our daily lives is perpetually stimulating.’ ∂
richardmille.comWatches
130 ∑