Richard Mille After a long and successful career in the watch industry, in 2001, Richard Mille presented his own line of watches and met immediate success with his very unconventional and radical high-tech approach to fine watchmaking. His timepieces break new technical and esthetical ground ? taking inspiration from Formula One race cars, materials and production processes. They are developed in close cooperation with Audemars Piguet?s Renaud & Papi, one of the watch industry?s most innovative technical leaders. Using materials like ceramic, titanium or chronifer, an antimagnetic alloy, the RM 002 Tourbillon features a co-axial button in the crown to select neutral, winding or handsetting positions, very much like selecting gears in a car. A torque indicator displays the actual strength of the mainspring and a ceramic endstone on the balance reduces friction to a higher degree than a traditional cap jewel. The eyes and hands of experienced watchmakers bring Richard Mille?s dreams reality ? but tradtional techniques, materials and skills are still of equal importance in building these radically different watches. Philippe Starck Born January 18, 1949, a world renowned French designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style, his genre ranges from individual interiors to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes and chairs. He was educated in Paris at the Ecole Nissim de Camondo and founded his first design firm in 1968, specializing in inflatable objects. In 1969 he became art director of his firm along with Pierre Cardin. Since 1975 Starck has worked independently as both an interior designer and product designer. Most notably he has created a number of relatively inexpensive product designs for the large American retailer Target Stores. Unlike most other New Design artists, Starck's work does not concentrate on the creation of provocative and expensive single pieces. Instead his product designs are of usable household items which Starck himself helps to market. His products are often stylized, streamlined and organic in their look and are also constructed using unusual combinations of materials (such as glass and stone, plastic and aluminum, plush fabric and chrome, etc.). Two of these designs include stylish toothbrushes (1989) and a sleek lemon press dubbed the Juicy Salif (1990). The Juicy Salif, in fact, has since become an affordable and popular cult item. A notable and world famous interior design job executed by Starck was for the Café Costes in Paris (1984).