Theodore Diehl
63
OFFICIAL REACTION RM TO ALLEGATIONS
RICHARD MILLE WATCHES
The Richard Mille brand and Horométrie SA would like to clarify certain arbitrary and defamatory statements made against them and publically disclosed by Mr Daniel Montandon.
Mr Daniel Montandon acted as Consultant to the Richard Mille brand and Horometrie SA as well as Distributor for the Richard Mille brand in Spain, Portugal and Russia. The Richard Mille brand and Horometrie SA wished to develop a ‘Marine’ range. This information was released to the Press at the time, as the attached Press Release will confirm.
Mr Daniel Montandon introduced the Richard Mille brand to the company Perini Navi and thereafter became a sponsor of the Perini Navi Cup.
However, the artistic and technical ideas for the RM 014 and RM 015 Perini Navi proposed by Mr Daniel Montandon were subsequently not retained and it was Richard Mille and Fabrice Deschanel, Director General of Renaud & Papi who conceived the two models, together with the technical services of Horométrie/Valgine. (correspondence and drawings will confirm this.)
Whilst Mr Daniel Montandon did propose a certain number of ‘marine’ concepts to the Richard Mille brand, these however never came to fruition despite various attempts to develop them. Nevertheless, Richard Mille and Horometrie SA never questioned that royalty payments were due to Mr Montandon for his collaboration and participation in the Perini Navi Cup 2006 to which the commercialisation of the RM 014 and RM 015 models was directly linked.
Richard Mille Europe proposed a draft distribution contract to Mr Daniel Montandon that imposed the company’s ethical policy and general code of conduct. Mr Daniel Montandon refused to sign this contract.
Mr Daniel Montandon’s claims are disproportionate and totally unfounded.
As a result, the Richard Mille brand and the company Horometrie SA reserve the right to take legal proceedings against Mr Daniel Montandon for his attack against the brand’s credibility and professional integrity.
Richard Mille has not yet instigated proceedings but is ready to present his case in Court. For this reason, Richard Mille will make no further comment on this subject by way of this inappropriate channel of communication.
ATTACHMENT TO THE ABOVE:
Richard Mille partner of the Perini Navi Cup
7/10 September 2006 – Sardinia
After "A racing Machine on the Wrist"…
… "Seven Seas Racing Class": the basis of a new collection of marine watches by Richard Mille
Richard Mille is pushing his specialisations to new horizons. Passionate about racing cars and having conceived the Formula 1 -like watches that initiated his success; Richard Mille continues his quest for fresh innovation. As of now, he is entering the nautical world as the official timekeeper of the Perini Navi Cup, one of the finest regattas in the world.
From 7th to 10th September 2006, the Perini Navi Cup will take place in Sardinia, at Porto Rotondo (Costa Smeralda). This major event, quoted by the Yachting World magazine as being "the mother of all regattas", will reunite the most prestigious sailing boats in the world and, in particular, the already famous Faucon Maltais, the largest at the Perini Navi at 87 metres, which has just been launched.
Richard Mille will be at the regatta as the official timekeeper of the event. An excellent debut into the world of sailing … which is far from just chance.
This partnership with Perini Navi is actually directly linked to the release of the RM014, the first nautical watch in the Richard Mille collection. For this development, it seemed evident to Richard Mille to associate himself, with an iconic event, just as he has done with the world of motor racing. The Perini Navi Cup is undeniably one of these.
The unifying points between Richard Mille and Perini Navi are numerous. Perini Navi are world leaders in the conception and construction of almighty sailing yachts, based in Viareggio and organisers of the Perini Navi Cup.
Both parties have a unique, innovative and creative vision. Richard Mille and Fabio Perini are two absolute precursors of precision. Their creations have laid down a derivative of new, different, convenient, affluent, elegant and high-performance aesthetics. It is therefore obvious that their paths would cross at some point. What’s done is done!
So how did this link between Richard Mille and the Perini Navi come about? The link is Daniel Montandon. Daniel is a nautical architect with first class expertise in watchmaking and a passion for the sea and has drawn upon both these passions and is now a consultant at Richard Mille. He is overseeing the new nautical line … and of course, coordinating with Perini Navi and the Organisation of the Perini Navi Cup.
Today, the RM014 … tomorrow, others with exclusive solutions derived from the marine universe. Nevertheless, all will reiterate the gigantic technical innovations that underline the success of the brand.
RM014 Tourbillon
The RM014 Tourbillon includes various features, hours, minutes, a power reserve, a torque indicator and a function selector. Available in 18 carat red or white gold, titanium or platinum, the watch casing is directly inspired by details found on the ocean going vessels created by Perini Navi. The RM014 particularly characterises itself with a platinum carbon monolithic, a central bridge in rigidified ARCAP, a fast rotating barrel and a variable inertia free sprung balance. The function selector, equally similar to a car’s gearbox, enables one to select the desired function (winding, neutral, hand setting) with a push-button located at the centre of the crown. The position of each function is displayed with a needle at 4 o’clock. Otherwise, this new nautical model is provided with a wheel based time setting system, at the back of the movement. This system provides smooth time setting functions through the elimination of engaging friction by replacing it with rolling friction.
This message has been edited by 219 on 2008-04-03 08:45:30
