For a while, even in a boutique devoted to watches, conversations strayed from the mechanical. Writers and enthusiasts, usually quick to parse movements and metals, found themselves enthralled by the dessert’s signature bump — or la bosse in French — and its scalloped shell, which, with a soft snap, revealed molten honey or a tumble of warm fruit jam. Unwittingly, one would reach for two, three or perhaps five of these rosemary-kissed teacakes that vanished almost as soon as they appeared. Pastry chef Keisuke, working alongside Bacquié, drew another tray from the oven — a final indulgence, as if to seal the sugar-filled afternoon and place into memory.
As rare as the timepieces themselves, bonds of trust and partnerships keep a family business ticking steadily towards the future
Some daughters inherit jewels. Amanda Mille, however, was born with instinct. This disposition has carried Richard Mille’s brand and partnerships director — heir to the eponymous founder — well beyond the predictable orbit of luxury, sparking collaborations and friendships that might seem unlikely on paper. Chief among them is Christophe Bacquié, the Michelin-starred chef more accustomed to coaxing flavours of the Mediterranean than appearing, whisk in hand, amid vitrines of haute horlogerie on a rainy day. Not that anyone in the room complained — we were the lucky beneficiaries of freshly baked madeleines so delicate they might have startled Marcel Proust, who once immortalised those “deliciously squat, plump cakes” in his opus Remembrance of Things Past.
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