The Timeless Allure of the fake Richard Mille watches RM 011
So, the task here is to explain why the Richard Mille RM 011 has endured.
They'll want to introduce the watchmaker, design, internal mechanics, and materials; they'll need to mention production volume and editions; but most importantly, they'll want to explain what makes this watch unique and how it stands out from millions of other watches. Is it impactful in design or technology? Does it have a strong heritage? Is it sought after by collectors? Before the RM 011, we couldn't find any other suitable candidate, but here's what we should have mentioned at the time.
In terms of the brand story, it was this fake luxury watches that transformed Richard Mille from a disruptive little brand into a formidable competitor. The RM 001 debuted at Baselworld in its full glory—its engineering and aesthetics were already perfect—but essentially, it was just a prototype. Subsequent watches introduced collaborations (such as with Felipe Massa), materials, concepts, and refinements that ultimately defined Richard Mille's watchmaking style.
Manufacturing is not simply about producing more parts; it's a completely different process, and it was this process that propelled Richard Mille closer to his dream—to design watches like Formula 1 cars, integrating the case, dial, and movement into the manufacturing process. The end result is a truly unique timepiece—who would have thought of considering the movement as a complete chassis, equipped with rubber shock absorbers or a variable geometry rotor?
For all these reasons, twenty years from now, any seasoned collector would desire an Richard Mille RM 011 as much as an original Daytona or Royal Oak. But does its appearance meet expectations? Watch designs become outdated far faster than you might imagine, and when you browse antique watches in auction catalogs, those that stand out are often the models that deviate slightly from the trends of the time. In this respect, the Richard Mille RM 011 is a classic—its 50mm diameter was undoubtedly fashionable at the time, but that's not the point. Its design, with a monochromatic base and vibrant accents, is directly derived from the concept behind the high quality fake watches—Formula One racing.