We know Richard Mille as the expert in watchmaking avant-gardism through ultra-sporty watches, each more innovative than the last. A house that has forged unprecedented partnerships with the world of sport over the years, in a perpetual quest for new challenges. We thus remember the brand’s sustained commitment to motorsport, particularly in Formula 1 with Ferrari or in endurance racing with the Richard Mille Racing Team. Less known is his passion for the waves.
However, the world of boating has attracted the attention of Richard Mille since 2010, the year of the creation of the Voiles de Saint-Barth, a race in which the brand is one of the main partners. This, before last year, Richard Mille collaborated with the Fife Regatta for its fifth edition. This mythical regatta on the Scottish west coast, created in 1998, brings together the largest number of sailboats from the Fife dynasty every five years. Anxious to continue its maritime adventure, the house is now launching its own regatta called the Richard Mille Cup. At stake ? A custom-made trophy by the iconic London jeweler Garrard.
This new meeting for exceptional sailors and sailboats – which will become an annual event assures the watchmaker – will take place in the English Channel from June 10 to 25. Gathered in Falmouth, the experienced skippers will combine coastal or offshore legs between 65 and 100 nautical miles. In total, and over 245 miles, they will head for Darthmouth Harbor before heading for Cowes and finally, Le Havre, port of arrival for some 200 participants. The latter will make stops and be welcomed in historic and prestigious sailing clubs such as the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, the Royal Dart Yacht Club, the Royal Yacht Squadron or the Société des Régates du Havre (SRH), the most former French sailing club.
The goal? A return to the roots of classic sailing in order to capture the DNA of yachting of yesteryear and sail through history. Indeed, there is no room for jokes here. The exclusive watchmaking by Richard Mille is subject to equally uncompromising entry and selection conditions. Like a contest of automobile elegance, the yachts admitted to sail in the Richard Mille Cup must have been built before the start of the Second World War, i.e. before 1939, or be faithful replicas of these boats, with a minimum size of ten meters long at the waterline. Among the fifteen seagoing vessels competing in the Schooner and Cutter categories, amateurs and enthusiasts will notably find boats designed by the illustrious William Fife III. Thus Moonbeam III, Mariquita, Moonbeam IV, Altaïr, Tuiga or The Lady Anne, without forgetting other classic yachts like Mariette, Atlantic, Kelpie and Thalia.
Finally, this prestigious regatta has a glorious surprise in store for the winner. Richard Mille has, in fact, entrusted the responsibility of an exceptional trophy to the British jewelery company Garrard. The latter is notoriously known as the jeweler to the crown of the English royal family and has a rich heritage of sporting awards, including the British Masters Trophy in golf, the Cricket World Cup and the America’s Cup in sailing. . Standing one meter tall and crafted in sterling silver, the Richard Mille Cup is a clever blend of contemporary design and classic craftsmanship. Good luck.
