With a façade standing 8.5 meters high, the newly-opened Richard Mille Taipei Flagship boutique is the brand's largest in the world.
It is situated right in the heart of Taipei's prime location, on the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental on Dunhua Road -- a prime confluence where travellers converge from around the world, a defacto "hub" of multiple time zones, appropriate for the Swiss watchmaker.
Inside, with its circular lines, the ceiling, swathed in beams of sunshine, curves seamlessly through space and time.
Right at the heart of the boutique, perfectly suspended, is the centrepiece - the gigantic glass sculpture of the classic RM 033.
With its 4,900mm diameter, it weighs a mighty 1.5 tonnes. Sculpted in four individual layers of tempered glass, constantly filtering and beaming pure layers of light, it propels you into a timeless universe...
Totalling 261 square meters, this is one of the most exciting spaces Mélanie Treton-Monceyron, the brand's Art Director, has ever worked with.
She goes for black. Its starkness contrasts with the translucent elements it so effortlessly dominates. It also affords the boutique a totally different feel from the ornate surroundings of the hotel surroundings.
Large broken glass curtain walls and black leather furniture are the backdrop for no less than 45 showcases.
Wine cabinets reach three meters up into the ceiling, showcasing specially selected prestige wines.
With more than 200 vintages, 100 teas, 100 types of cigar... this is truly where art and taste blend seamlessly with the mechanics of precision time-making.
