RMB01: Richard Mille’s Bold Leap from Haute Horlogerie to High-Speed Machines

Richard Mille is no stranger to pushing boundaries. Since its founding in 2001, the Swiss watchmaker has defied the conventions of luxury horology, blending radical design, experimental materials, and elite performance. Unlike most brands that keep their creations locked behind glass, Richard Mille sends them into the field, onto the racetrack, the tennis court, the golf course, the high jump arena, and even the punishing slopes of cycling races. If there’s movement, friction, risk, and precision involved, chances are a Richard Mille timepiece is strapped to someone’s wrist.

This ethos, performance above all, has made Richard Mille the unofficial watchmaker of speed. Formula 1 teams, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Olympic high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, and professional cyclists from Team Bahrain Victorious are just a few of the elite athletes who wear Richard Mille watches during competition. That’s not just branding; it’s a design challenge. These are ultra-light, shock-resistant, tourbillon-equipped machines, expected to function flawlessly in the middle of a 200 km/h turn or a 250 km/h serve.

Now, Richard Mille has extended this obsession with performance into a new realm: motorcycles. And it’s done so with all the ambition and meticulousness that defines the brand’s approach to watchmaking.

Already in 2020, Brough Superior joined forces with Aston Martin to co-develop the AMB 001, a limited-edition track-only motorcycle that marked Aston Martin’s two-wheeled debut.

Designed by Aston Martin and engineered by Brough Superior, the AMB 001 was a sleek, futuristic bike powered by a turbocharged 997cc V-twin engine delivering 180 horsepower. With carbon fiber bodywork, billet aluminum components, and a bold sculptural design, it was clearly intended for connoisseurs of performance and aesthetics.

Watches and Motorcycles: A Shared Mechanical Soul

At first glance, high-end watches and motorcycles seem like separate universes. One sits quietly on a wrist; the other roars down a winding road. But look closer, and the parallels become hard to ignore.

Both watches and motorcycles are built around the mastery of movement, mechanical systems that must function with flawless precision. Both are deeply analog in an increasingly digital world. Both have long histories tied to craftsmanship, engineering ingenuity, and a kind of mechanical poetry.

In both disciplines, the materials matter, titanium, carbon fiber, magnesium, ceramic. Weight and strength are critical. So is balance. Like the escapement of a watch that regulates time, a motorcycle’s suspension and frame geometry regulate stability and control. And in both cases, design isn’t just aesthetic, it’s functional, often dictated by physics, stress tolerances, and aerodynamics.

For Richard Mille, whose watches often resemble miniature race cars in terms of construction, the jump from timepieces to motorcycles was less a departure than an evolution.

Richard Mille and Brough Superior, the RMB01: A New Chapter with Brough Superior

Enter the RMB01, Richard Mille’s first full-fledged motorcycle, developed in partnership with legendary British motorcycle manufacturer Brough Superior. This is not just a rebranded version of the AMB 001. It is a distinct, standalone machine that reflects Richard Mille’s design language, engineering values, and performance-first mindset.

The RMB01 is unapologetically radical. It features a custom-built 997cc V-twin engine producing 130 horsepower, tuned for responsiveness and raw torque. The frame combines CNC-machined aluminum and carbon fiber to achieve both lightness and rigidity. The front suspension features a double-wishbone Fior system, and the exposed mechanical components evoke the intricate craftsmanship of a fine watch movement.

Visually, the RMB01 looks like a Richard Mille watch brought to life, angular, architectural, futuristic. Every component is sculpted with intention. The fuel tank, for instance, is a single piece of carbon fiber that flows into the seat and tail unit like a continuous form. The handlebars are mounted directly to the CNC-machined top yoke, echoing the open-worked bridges of a Mille movement.

And just like the brand’s watches, the RMB01 is a limited-edition object: 150 units will be produced. It’s not built for volume or mass appeal, it’s built to showcase what’s possible when no compromise is made.

Richard Mille and Brough Superior, together beyond the Wrist

With the launch of the RMB01, Richard Mille is no longer just a watch brand. It’s becoming a mobility atelier, a curator of kinetic experiences that combine engineering, design, and emotion.

This isn’t a pivot; it’s a natural extension. The brand has always been fascinated with movement, how things work under pressure, at speed, in competition. The move into motorcycles allows Richard Mille to explore a new scale of mechanical artistry. Instead of the wrist, it’s now the road. Instead of grams, it’s dealing with kilograms. But the obsession with performance, material innovation, and precision remains unchanged.

The choice to collaborate with Brough Superior also speaks volumes. Known in the 1920s as the “Rolls-Royce of motorcycles,” Brough was revived in the 21st century with a focus on handmade, high-performance machines. It shares Richard Mille’s commitment to excellence and its refusal to cut corners. Together, the two brands have created something that’s more than a motorcycle, it’s a philosophy on two wheels.

The Road Ahead

So, where is Richard Mille going?

The RMB01 provides a clear answer: the brand is expanding its playground. It’s applying its horological values, mechanical ingenuity, disruptive design, extreme materials, to new frontiers. The motorcycle is just the beginning. One can easily imagine future Richard Mille ventures: perhaps electric performance vehicles, track-only hypercars, or even private aviation collaborations.

But unlike other luxury brands that spread themselves thin across lifestyle categories, Richard Mille isn’t diluting its identity. It’s doubling down on performance. Every new product, whether worn or ridden, must meet the same standard: it must perform in extreme conditions. It must push boundaries. It must be built for movement.

In the RMB01, Richard Mille hasn’t just built a motorcycle, it’s made a statement. A declaration that in the world of luxury, motion is the new prestige.

And with engines running and tourbillons ticking, the journey is just beginning.