Cover Amanda Mille and Cécile Guenat are the force behind Richard Mille's most ambitious push yet—proving that when women lead, the whole industry has to keep up (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
Amanda Mille and Cécile Guenat are the force behind Richard Mille's most ambitious push yet—proving that when women lead, the whole industry has to keep up (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
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Amanda Mille and Cécile Guenat aren’t just putting women in the picture at Richard Mille—they’re changing what the picture looks like
The watchmaking world has always had a funny relationship with women. We’re sold diamonds and reduced case sizes, and told that complexity isn’t for us; that we want pretty things on our wrists, not mechanical marvels. But Richard Mille didn’t get that memo.
The maison doesn’t just support women out in the world—it does so at home too. Amanda Mille and Cécile Guenat are two of the brand’s most senior executives. As brand and partnerships director, and creative and development director respectively, they’re far from mere window dressing. Guenat started out as a jeweller’s apprentice in Lausanne at 17, worked her way through Geneva’s design schools, then cut her teeth in London’s fashion jewellery scene.
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Above RM 07-01 (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
RM 07-01 (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
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When the brand’s cofounders her father Dominique Guenat and Richard Mille—brought her on board in 2015, she created the RM 71-01 Tourbillon Talisman—ten pieces that refused to play by the rules. Then came the Bonbon Collection, which had the audacity to be playful in an industry that takes itself very seriously.
Meanwhile, Amanda Mille’s remit is focusing on relationships—with customers, partners, athletes and artists. These relationships shape how the brand is seen beyond the watches themselves. Take the Rallye des Princesses, a female- focused sport which the brand sponsors. Don’t let the name fool you—this is serious motorsport. The time-speed-distance rally sees 90 all-female teams navigate more than 1,000km of back roads from Paris to Saint-Tropez over five days, in classic and historic cars. Participation takes the nerves of an F1 driver and the precision of a Swiss watchmaker.
Then there’s The Famous Project. French sailor Alexia Barrier is taking an all-female crew on the Ultime Trimaran IDEC Sport—the fastest boat of its kind—to attempt the Jules Verne Trophy in 2025. That ’s sailing around the world, non-stop, no assistance. The current record sits at just over 40 days, set by Francis Joyon in 2017, on this exact boat. Barrier and her crew of eight want to be the first women’s team to set a reference time—and possibly beat the record entirely.
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Above The Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille is an event dedicated to women who are into motorsport cars (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
The Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille is an event dedicated to women who are into motorsport cars (Photo: courtesy of Richard Mille)
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What matters is that Richard Mille isn’t treating this as a PR exercise. With women like Mille and Guenat leading the charge, the brand offers real support—not half measures or token gestures, but the same equipment, the same backing, the same shot at making history.
The watches tell the same story. The RM 037 and RM 07-01 Automatic aren’t simplified or shrunk down. They have the same grade 5 titanium baseplates, variable-geometry rotors and visible mechanics that the brand built its reputation on. Then there’s the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport, weighing just 36 grams with the strap, and capable of handling 5,000 g of acceleration. It took three years for the brand to develop, working directly with six athletes, including golfer Nelly Korda and heptathlete Nafi Thiam, who actually put watches through their paces.
That’s the thing about what Mille and Guenat are doing. They ’re not doing “women’s watchmaking”. They’re just making watches—technically ambitious, aesthetically uncompromising—and trusting that women want the real thing. Turns out, we do.
As the Regional Editor for Watches and Jewellery and Editorial Content Lead for Tatler GMT, Amrita Katara specialises in luxury watch and jewellery coverage across Asia, with expertise in editorial strategy, feature writing and interviews with industry leaders. Her past roles span luxury lifestyle media and client partnerships. Based in Mumbai, Amrita’s work bridges global trends and Asian market insights.
