Meeting Richard Mille in person can be a surreal experience. The gregarious, gruff-voiced entrepreneur may be meeting you for the first time, but expect to be hugged and high-fived as you walk into his space. To journalists, Mille dispenses sound bites in conspiratory whispers. To customers, he plays the part of a long-lost buddy to perfection.
Since hitting the ground running with his eponymous brand in 2001, Mille has been the undisputed champ of ultraluxurious, ultraniche timepieces. The trailblazing independent watch brand is famous for its high-performance sports complications.
Constructed using state-of-the-art mechanisms and space-age alloys, they are field-tested by actual athletes before going into production - tennis star Rafael Nadal smashed his way to a 2010 Wimbledon victory while wearing a Richard Mille tourbillon.
But above all, it is Mille's knack for making his customers feel at home in his world, thanks to his astute reading of the luxury watch market, that contributes most to his company's success.
"I see the watch market as a global entity, not an Asian market or a US market," Mille says ahead of his brand's showcase at the Watches&Wonders horological exhibition in Hong Kong.
That is not to say that Mille believes in market homogeneity. Rather, he believes in building relationships with individual markets the old-school way - by reaching out and communicating with them.
"Because of the sheer size of the Asian market in pure numbers, and the great distance between Switzerland - and, for instance, Hong Kong - we must make more effort to reach out to people. You cannot fall in love if you are too far apart. It is really that simple," he says.