Servicing
The main elements of the movement, the escapement, going train and the winding barrel, have been specifically studied and tested to provide optimal shock and thermal resistance resulting in an extremely reliable timekeeper.
COMMITMENT
Your Richard Mille watch is a sophisticated and complex mechanical device, designed and constructed using the most modern watchmaking techniques and materials that exist. It has been assembled and optimised by master watchmakers.
Each piece is finished and assembled by hand, reflecting what is best in the culture of 'Haute Horlogerie'.
WARRANTY
A UNIQUE 3+2 WARRANTY SERVICE CONCEPT
A watch is a fine mechanical object and as such it needs to be cared for in exactly the same way as any quality machine such as a sports car. That is to say: through the course of time the oil in the watch needs to be renewed and the mechanism checked for wear and tear in exactly the same manner one would never drive a fine car for many thousands of miles without normal servicing.
Because Richard Mille rigorously stands behind the quality and longevity of the timepieces he creates, he has taken an approach to servicing, unique in the industry, through the creation of a 3+2 warranty concept.
Every Richard Mille owner has the right to have their watch serviced free of charge within the first three years of ownership, after which the warranty is officially extended for another 2 years. This 3+2 system provides a full 5-year period warranty protection period, as long as the watch has first been properly serviced within the initial 3-year ownership period.
WARRANTY DOCUMENTATION
Each Richard Mille timepiece is accompanied by a unique warranty card embedded with a holographic security seal on its surface issued by our manufacture in Les Breuleux, Switzerland. In addition, this document is signed and dated by the official Richard Mille boutique staff at the time of purchase.
In your warranty folder, you will find the activation warranty card which his activated on purchase of your watch.
The card is paired with the serial number of the watch and will have the complete history of your timepiece (date of purchase, servicing, warranty). For any intervention, please provide this card and the original warranty document.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS
More and more third-party individuals are now offering to modify Richard Mille watches, for instance by setting the case and/or dial with precious stones or by replacing the existing case with poorly made sapphire cases. Any intervention or service performed outside our network will completely void the warranty.
Disassembling the bezel or even the dial will cause irreversible damage to the movement, its reliability and the water resistance of your watch if conducted by a non-authorised watchmaker. Simply replacing a Richard Mille strap is a real challenge; A specific screwdriver—wielded exclusively by our watchmakers— a specific level of torque and specific water-resistance checks are required in order to guarantee the durability of the watch.
Sapphire imitations proposed as replacements for the original case will never meet the extremely strict aesthetic and mechanical specifications that make our watches valuable. Produced abroad, such cases typically exhibit a rough finish and total lack of water-resistance. Furthermore, serious damage is likely to ensue from assembling a movement inside it, and you will very likely reduce the value of your time piece.
Recasing the calibre back into its original case for after-sales service and interventions will not mask the transformation. Our watchmakers will immediately discover traces of the watch’s prior disassembly, forcing us to void the warranty
Such transformations are a danger for your watch and its authenticity. Any intervention on a Richard Mille watch must be carried out by one of our specialised watchmakers, who are fully trained in our manufacturing facilities in Switzerland. Meticulous recordkeeping at Richard Mille After Sales Service that ensures each watch’s service record accurately describes the entire service history of the timepiece. This attention to detail protects owners and also protects each watch.
SERVICING AND OILING
Oil is at the heart of every machine, and oil’s ability to lubricate is limited to a specific period of time as well the amount of metallic particles it can absorb, exactly as we experience in automotive engines.
We advise having the watch serviced regularly every 3 years, and its water resistance checked yearly if the watch is subjected to immersion on a regular basis.
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your Richard Mille watch in perfect working order over the long term. Each phase of the maintenance schedule must be completed within the timeframes and intervals indicated to ensure your watch continues to deliver performance and reliability. Bear in mind that the specific operations involved in maintenance may vary according to the conditions under which a watch is used.
The intervention may involve only the case, or may also include the movement of your watch. Where a complete service is called for, the steps of this process are as described in the following drop-down list.
A distinction is to be made between the processes applicable to automatic, manual winding models and those relevant for tourbillon timepieces.
Though the maintenance of most tourbillons and automatic tourbillons is taken care of in-house, maintenance of certain tourbillons and grand complications is conducted by Audemars Piguet Le Locle, in the Neuchâtel Canton of Switzerland. All cases, for both automatic and tourbillon watches, are reviewed and polished at the Richard Mille case factory, in Les Breuleux, Switzerland.