Richard Mille is an ultra-luxury Swiss watchmaking brand that combines the best in technical innovation, architecture, and fine watchmaking. Richard Mille watches are a racing machine on your wrist, and these watches are flamboyant and iconic.
Many have a partially see-through design to show off the engineering and craftsmanship inside, like the partially see-through dresses I keep spotting on Revolve. These watches want to stand out, be seen, show off, and even shock a little.
Rafael Nadal was spotted wearing a $1 Million Richard Mille watch during his tennis matches. Formula 1 motor racing stars Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikönnen, and Romain Grosjean have all been seen wearing these watches due to Richard Mille’s partnership with Formula 1 teams.
The cheapest and best way to buy a Richard Mille watch is to travel to a country where you can buy the watch tax-free and claim the tax back from the government at the airport on your way home.
We review the 10 best places to buy a cheap Richard Mille watch below:
1. Monaco
Which country are Richard Mille watches cheapest? You’ll find the cheapest Richard Mille watches in destinations where you can claim tax back. Our top pick is Monaco, which is bordered by France, because it’s safe, the sun shines most of the time, and you can claim tax back at Nice airport.
Most of our readers are from North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If you reside in these countries and fly to EU countries to buy an expensive watch. You can usually claim back most of the tax you paid on the watch when you leave. This means you’ll get your Richard Mille watch almost tax-free.
There is a Richard Mille shop in Monte-Carlo just behind Casino Square as you walk down towards the Fairmont hotel and Buddha Bar.
We think Monaco is the best place to buy a Richard Mille because it’s easy to get to, just a 30-minute drive from Nice International Airport, there are great hotels to stay in, like Hotel Hermitage, and the Richard Mille is easy to find.
Monaco is an exceptionally safe destination. Monaco is one of the safest micro-states in Europe, renowned for its high level of security. The risk of petty crimes like pickpocketing and watch snatching is rare, which means you can wear your watch right out of the store without too much worry.
You’ll feel in the right place wearing your watch in the evening, as Monaco is glamorous. If you want to make a weekend trip out of your shopping trip, book an overnight stay at Hotel Hermitage or perhaps Hotel De Paris via our luxury travel concierge for free breakfast, hotel credit and room upgrades (subject to availability). We can arrange for the hotel concierge to book you an appointment at the Richard Mille store.
The Monaco store is across the road from Hotel De Paris and a 2-minute walk from Hotel Hermitage. So, as long as you have a big enough wallet, you should be able to walk into the Richard Mille shop in Monaco and buy yourself a watch.
How do you claim back tax on Richard Mille watches? If you buy your Richard Mille watch in Monaco, don’t forget to claim your tax back at Nice airport. Monaco has the same vat as France, and they give you papers for reimbursement in the shop.
Nice airport recommends claiming tax back from your purchases made in Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, and Monaco. Non-EU residents can enjoy VAT refunds on their tax-free shopping, such as technology, clothing, wine, and cosmetics. As a result of Brexit, Brits can now enjoy these savings and receive VAT refunds on eligible purchases, too.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is applied to products that are purchased in France. The standard rate is 20%. Non-EU nationals can benefit from a VAT refund of between 12% and 16%.
Several eligibility conditions must be met: to have purchased more than €175.01 worth of goods in the same store and on the same day; to be in France for less than six months; and to be at least 16 years old. Worth noting that shops with a tax-free logo will provide you with a tax-free form.
When you make your purchases in-store, you must ask the shop to give you a tax-free form. This form must be signed by both you and the store. Some stores, such as Galeries Lafayette, can directly intervene in the tax exemption in the store. Otherwise, you can get a refund at the airport when you leave.
You must present your form to customs so that they can validate it and refund the VAT. Make sure you keep the purchased goods in your luggage. Then again, you would have to be a bit mad to put your new Richard Mille watch in your hold luggage, it might get lost so please keep it on your person!
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has 4 VAT refund offices (2 in each terminal) in the Arrivals hall (Terminal 1 or Terminal 2). If you are flying out of Terminal One at Nice Airport (the British Airways Terminal), you must first go to the office to stamp your receipts.
This office is on the ground floor, next to the currency exchange desk. You can alternatively scan your barcode at one of the two machines in the same location if there is a barcode on your forms. If you don’t have a bar code, the officer at the counter will verify for you.
After declaring your purchases at the terminals or customs office, you only need to go to the Interchange exchange office to recover your refund. This office is upstairs near the immigration counter and the currency exchange desk, which is on your left, in the departure area.
This is a bit of a hassle, but a 12 – 16% saving is well worth having. Please note that these offices are not open 24/7, so if you don’t have time to make your claim at the airport and you miss getting your forms stamped, it’s still possible to claim a refund in your home country via your local French Embassy.
If this all seems a bit much, I would suggest buying the watch in Monaco and then booking a night at the glorious Four Seasons Cap Ferrat via our luxury travel concierge to get free resort credit, free breakfast and room upgrade (subject to availability).
Our luxury travel concierge team can arrange for the Four Seasons transfer back to the airport and for their driver to get out and help you find the first exchange desk and help direct you to the second. This way, you are aided and will be shown what to do. Four Seasons is renowned for its service, and we have a special relationship with the team over in Cap Ferrat, so if you need help at the airport after your purchase, we can arrange for their team to help you.
2. Milan
Much like Monaco, Milan in Italy has some fabulous hotels and a Richard Mille store. We would reccomend flying out to Milan for a night or two and to stay at Four Seasons Milan or Bulgari Milan.
Our luxury travel concierge can book you in with free breakfast, hotel credit, and room upgrades (subject to availability), and we can arrange for the hotel concierge to book you an appointment at the Richard Mille store. Ensure you request the relevant tax reclaim forms at the store before buying.
Once again, this is a great place to purchase a Richard Mille, as Milan is a place to see and be seen, so your new watch will enjoy a trip out here!
Claiming the tax back at either Milan airport is a faff, much like at Nice Airport, but we can connect you to your hotel concierge, who can arrange help and walk you through the process. A major advantage of staying at a luxury hotel is that their staff has the time to try and assist you.
3. Paris
Paris currently has the exact same rules as Monaco for buying goods and then claiming your tax back. There is a Richard Mille store in Paris. You need to prebook, make your purchase, and then claim tax back at the airport for the best deal.
There are some wonderful hotels with pools in Paris and we have also reviewed the best Marriott hotels in Paris in case you want to earn Marriott Bonvoy points while investing in your timepiece.
4. Japan
It’s sometimes worth traveling further afield to pick up exactly what you want. The Japanese are huge collectors of vintage timepieces. Richard Mille currently sells pre-owned watches at NX One in Tokyo, Sannomiyachō, and Fukuoka in Japan.
5. Geneva
Much like Monaco, Geneva has some fabulous hotels and a Richard Mille store. As far as we have researched, it seems that you can claim some tax back from purchases made in Switzerland, and we have included a link to more information on this below.
If you decide to buy your Richard Mille watch in Switzerland, we would reccomend flying to Geneva for a night or two and to stay at Four Seasons Geneva, which is one of the best Four Seasons in Europe.
The Richard Mille shop is a short walk from the Four Seasons, and by purchasing your watch here, you can also enjoy the lake and the luxury Swiss lifestyle.
The VAT you pay on purchased goods in Switzerland is 7.7%. You can ask at the Richard Mille store for your Tax-Free Form, and you should be able to reclaim the VAT. You must be a resident outside Switzerland, and the goods must be exported within 30 days. Find out more about claiming tax back in Switzerland here.
6. Singapore
Richard Mille has two shops in Singapore. The Richard Mille store at Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Richard Mille Store St Martin. There is also a second-hand Richard Mille shop in Singapore called The Value Of Time. The Goods & Services Tax (GST) in Singapore is 7%, and visitors are entitled to claim this back once they leave.
7. North America
Westime Beverly Hills and La Jolla in California sell second-hand Richard Mille watches if you have one in mind. Otherwise for new Richard Mille watches head to their Aspen store, Bevely Hills store. Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and Vancouver in Canada also have Richard Mille Stores.
These stores are all convenient for North American residents, but as far as we have researched, Americans and Canadians will need to fly out of North America to buy a Richard Mille watch and claim back tax on their purchase.
8. Spain
Have you ever seen the watch sellers on the Spanish beaches cheap Rolex watches and cheap Richard Mille watches straight out of briefcases? I’ve been accosted by these persistent salesmen at the beaches of the Costa Del Sol, just outside the Marbella Club, and in the backstreets of Tenerife.
Please don’t buy your watch from these guys. They aren’t real. Most are embarrassingly bad, and most don’t work for long, either. Admittedly, some of these watches are more convincing than others, but they aren’t the real deal.
9. Online: eBay
How about eBay? Howl! Please be very careful if you consider buying your Richard Mille from eBay. You need to be an expert to know whether the watch you buy is genuine. This is such a gamble, and we would not reccomend buying a watch this way.
10. London
Richard Mille has a store in London, and you can book an appointment here and buy your watch, but tax-free shopping for international travelers shopping in the United Kingdom has been discontinued.
In the past, international visitors to the UK could claim tax refunds on their purchases. However, starting from January 1, 2021, the UK government decided to discontinue the VAT refund scheme for tourists. So, savings and bargains that travelers once enjoyed no longer happen. This makes England a particularly bad place to buy a Richard Mille watch.
Richard Mille currently sells pre-owned watches at Ninety London, which is a reason to buy a watch in London if you have one in mind, just bear in mind that second hand Richard Mille watches are usually more expensive than the new ones.
Copyright Luxury Travel Diary 2014 - 2024. Duplication outside of luxurytraveldiary.com is forbidden.
Note: Benefits & upgrades subject to availability. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing. Terms & conditions apply. Enquire for more information. Benefits offered correct at the time of writing but may be amended at discretion of the vendor. Posts may be sponsored by the proprietor or brand being appraised. All opinions remain our own & are in no way influenced.
