Haute Time Sits Down With Richard Mille While He Is In New York City

Haute Time Sits Down With Richard Mille While He Is In New York City

Seth Semilof
By Seth Semilof April 27, 2012

On Thursday April 26, Haute Time Curator, Seth Semilof, had the opportunity to interview watch legend Richard Mille who was in New York City, for the announcement of the New Ambassador of Richard Mille, or as he calls it, “New Friend,” actress  Natalia Portman.

Richard Mille is famous for having the top athletes as his other “Friends,” including tennis sensation Rafal Nadal, recent U.S. Open winner and golf star Bubba Watson and Pablo Mac Donough, currently the top polo player in the world.

When it comes to Hollywood, Natalia Portman fits the same prestigious criteria as the current Sports Friends of Richard Mille. She is one of the most special actresses of our time, with a huge future ahead of her while having accomplished such a distinguished career already.

Haute Time with President of Richard Mille Americas John Simonian and Mr Richard Mille

Before the dinner at The St. Regis, Haute Time had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Mille for 45 minutes where we were able to get inside his mind as an entrepreneur, the creator of one of the most special luxury brands in the world.

Listening to his story really makes you realize that anyone can accomplish anything in this world, as long as they have a dream, passion and the commitment to execute.

Mr. Richard Mille

What makes his brand so special is his commitment to excellence and his willingness to take risks in creating the most special watches in the industry. For example, the RM 56 at SIHH, one of the most “outside-the-box” watches, sold out in less then five days, for $1.6 million per watch.

The evening was a very special, small affair. It was a intimate dinner for Ms. Portman to introduce herself to the brand and to meet with her charity, Free the Children, that Richard Mille will support through proceeds. These kinds of collaborations with celebrities are usually about giving back, as shown in our cover story with Quincy Jones and his collaboration with Audemars Piguet.

There were only about 25-30 guests at the dinner, truly reserved for just Friends of the brand. What was so interesting, was Natalie Portman didn’t have any paparazzi following her. She was relaxed, laughing and enjoying her time with Mr Mille and guests. At the end of the night, I was most impressed with how she kindly said goodbye to everyone and knew everyone’s name. She even came and said goodbye to me, and asked my name, since we were not introduced earlier. That type of attitude is exactly why she is one of the most special actresses of our time and why she makes a perfect Friend for Richard Mille.

Mr. Richard Mille

Be sure to check out the video of Haute Time’s interview with Richard Mille next week on HauteTime.com.

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