Richard Mille Brough Superior: the motorbike inspired by a watch

Plenty of luxury watch brands have sought to attract wealthy riders from the two-wheeled world by making motorcycle-inspired timepieces. During the early 2000s the now dormant JeanRichard collaborated with MV Agusta while Jaeger-LeCoultre had a single-year partnership with the seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi.

More recently Baume & Mercier got together with Indian, Bulgari signed an ongoing deal with Ducati (previously linked with Tudor) and Breitling stepped aside from Norton to jump into bed with Triumph. But never has a motorcycle manufacturer put a machine into series production that was designed from the ground up to reflect the engineering aesthetic of a specific watchmaker.

That changes with the launch of the RMB01, a £210,000, track-only superbike designed and produced by Brough Superior in collaboration with Richard Mille, maker of watches routinely costing six or seven figures. A total of 150 bikes will be built, and firm orders for more than 50 are already on the books.

With its sci-fi movie styling, the RMB01 is a far cry from the Brough Superiors that we know as the type of pre-war machine on which TE Lawrence ‘of Arabia’ was killed 90 years ago after crashing in a Dorset lane while trying to avoid two boys on bicycles.

Engineer George Brough built his first powered two-wheeler in 1919 and soon established a reputation for making ‘the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles’ with his SS80 and SS100 models, the cost of which had grown to the price of a small house by the mid-1920s.

But World War II saw the firm go to the wall as demand dried up, leaving the Brough Superior name mothballed  until 2008 when it was acquired by British entrepreneur and bike collector Mark Upham.

His plan was to revive the marque as a maker of Broughs with a modern twist, thanks to the use of contemporary materials, computer-aided design and state-of-the-art construction. Upham achieved his dream with the help of Toulouse-based engineering firm Boxer Design whose owner, Thierry Henriette, took over the reborn marque in 2013 and has since expanded the line-up by adding one new model per year. Additionally, a 2019 collaboration with Aston Martin resulted in two limited edition bikes – the AMB100, a £95,000 turbocharged 997cc monster built in 100 examples and the track-only AMB100 Pro, an even more expensive effort based on Aston’s Valkyrie hypercar.

It was an automotive connection, too, that brought Richard Mille into contact with Brough in 2019 at the giant Rétromobile classic car show in Paris.

“I saw someone come to our stand who began looking at one of our bikes in incredible detail,” recalls Brough Superior executive director Albert Castaigne. “He spent a long time examining every visible part and taking in all the design elements – and then someone told me it was Richard Mille. He introduced himself and said he was very interested in seeing how we worked, so we organised a factory visit.”

After the visit, Mille – who owns a jaw-dropping collection of classic grand prix cars – expressed an interest in collaborating. But it was another four years before the plan came to fruition.

“Richard met M Henriette at the Le Mans Classic in 2023 and said, ‘Let’s go,’ explains Castaigne. “He gave us a direction to design something that drew parallels with Richard Mille watches but emphasised that any such features must have a purpose, and not just be there simply for show.”

And in late September, I became the second of three people outside of the Brough Superior factory to ever ride the bike during a specially organised test day at Spain’s Calafat race circuit.

“In late September, I became the second of three people outside of the Brough Superior factory to ride the new bike”

Considering the RMB01’s hefty price tag and that I had never previously seen the circuit, the prospect of piloting one down the straight at three-figure speeds was daunting – but irresistible. Beforehand, Castagne encouraged me to take in the remarkable details of the bike that really make this a rolling work of art.

The multi-piece wheels have been designed to resemble a tourbillon cage, while the angled, hollowed-out shapes of the forks and swingarm refer directly to the lightweight cases of Richard Mille watches.

The bike’s chassis takes the form of a carbon fibre exoskeleton, from which the 997cc V-twin engine is suspended – much as skeletonised movements are suspended in watches.

Other similarities include a clutch cover resembling a distinctive Richard Mille watch winding crown and instruments that mimic the view into an RM watch movement – complete with oscillating gears that activate the rev counter and speedo needles when the ignition is switched on.

The graphics are based on those found on a typical Richard Mille dial, while the binnacle is bordered by a carbon-fibre and titanium bezel featuring top-loading screws similar to those of the watches.

Out on track, cosmetic details paled into insignificance compared with the feeling of solid engineering that came to the fore as the number of laps increased.

Being based in Toulouse – an aerospace manufacturing capital – Brough Superior has called on multiple small-scale manufacturers to supply aviation-grade components such as wheels and brake calipers, meaning that 50% of the bike’s parts are made close to the Brough factory.

“We go for ultimate quality,” Castagne says. “And like a Richard Mille watch, the price is therefore substantial.”

A fact I was careful to remember all the way around.

Richard Mille Brough Superior RMB01, £210,000. brough-superior-motorcycles.com; richardmille.com