The Horologist: Peter Harrison
Peter Harrison is the CEO of a leading Haute horology company in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) known as Richard Mille. The company produces luxury watches that have gained traction in the Middle East where there is an upsurge in the number of watch collectors and enthusiast. The growing interest in their luxury products is a result of their most exceptional and innovative watchmaking that attracts MENA clients from all trades. Harrison explains that the vast market for elite product led to the launching of Redgrave Luxury, their international product distributor.
Redgrave Luxury is based in the UK. It prides itself working under the Swiss watch brand Richard Mille as a shareholder and sole distributor in EMEA. Harrison says the company has a great relationship with their clients who go out of their way to refer their watches. He adds that building lasting networks and referrals helped the company get its key partners.
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The company’s client management is excellent, considering the repeat purchase of the luxurious horologe brand from collectors. The consumers are passionate about their products and are willing to spend on having a private collection of their watches. The CEO reports that their client loyalty attests to the quality of their pieces and close customer relations. He further states that this motivates them to work on creating better concepts and designs to suit the refined preference of new and regular consumers.
Redgrave Luxury partnered with Horometrie SA in Switzerland to form Richard Millie EMEA Ltd. This joint venture serves clients in CH, who are willing to try out innovative watchmaking designs. Clients are drawn to the limited timepieces that are well crafted, such as the RM 19- 02 Tourbillion Fleur. Collectors, watch aficionados, have a special connection with these pieces, and they are loyal to the brand and act as self-appointed influencers of the brand.
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The brand produces their watches in limited numbers, which makes their new and repeat clients aspire to own them, especially the timeless pieces. The company benefits significantly from the clients need for new and unique watches. The company boasts of a useful marketing tool, that is, word of mouth referrals by their customers.
The CEO wears one of the 100 limited edition pieces, the RM 011 Black Night, that is only available in EMEA. This watch was the first edition and contained in a casing entirely made of NTPT® Carbon. The same piece was donned by brand partners Martin Brundle, Felipe Massa, and Sebastien Loeb, during the motor racing season. These are Formula 1 racecar drivers who reflect on the high-end brands’ tendency of linking with opinion leaders who are adventurous and have a great sense of style. These Richard Millie brand partners are more than a marketing tool, and they help in the actual testing of the watches in all regions. Other visibility strategies the company uses include taking part in annual horology luxury events like the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). Participating in these events helps to reach out to potential clients as well as networking with industry contacts. Harrison believes that it is essential to build and maintain close contact with their customers, partners, and friends.
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For a brand in the Haute Horologe domain to enlist new and maintain their customers, they have to use materials that are captivating, comfortable, and durable. They are also required to have the best craftsmanship and production standards to compete favorably. Richard Millie builds watches that match these high-end products standard. Before producing a model, they research whether it meets the client’s preferences. The model is then developed using the best materials, tools, and an exceptional finish. The CEO explains that their pieces have other complexities; they can be manual, automatics, chronographs, and tourbillions. He further says they have different cutting edge materials like carbon, ceramic, titanium, and precious metals. These pieces also have varied settings but what makes all watches similar is the extremely high performance.
