After two busy but very enjoyable days spent on the Richard Mille stand at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, which opened on Monday 21 st January, the highly successful Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake travelled to Les Breuleux on Wednesday 23 rd January to visit the Richard Mille premises and immerse himself in the atmosphere of this temple devoted to fine watchmaking.

Accompanied by his personal staff, the current 100 m world champion set off to meet Richard Mille’s team of watchmakers in the Swiss Canton of Jura on Wednesday morning, discovering the workshops where the brand’s exceptional and acclaimed creations are produced. The manufacturing director, Yves Mathys, had the privilege of showing Yohan Blake around the production facilities and, at the end of the visit, the sprinter signed autographs – on running shoes, of course! – to the delight of the RM watchmakers.

This was not the first time that the 23-year-old Jamaican, winner of a handful of medals at the London 2012 Olympics, had visited Switzerland. Indeed, it was in Lausanne that he became the third greatest sprinter of all time on August 23 rd 2012 by winning his 100 m race in 9.69 seconds. Beating his personal best by six-hundredths of a second, he confirmed his remarkable talent as well as his potential to smash records.

Like the other illustrious sporting partners who make up the ‘RM Family’, Yohan Blake has developed a specific calibre with Richard Mille: a watch designed for sprinters the world over. Premiered at the 2013 SIHH, the RM 59-01 Yohan Blake is an ergonomic, high-performance tourbillon watch that features a unique architectural structure.