Richard Mille, a maker of luxury Swiss watches, officially opened its first boutique in Doha, Qatar, in style with the worldwide premiere of the RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire.

This stunning timepiece is the first full sapphire cased piece dedicated entirely to women.

Qatar's new boutique will be operated in partnership with Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewellery, Qatar’s leading retailer for Haute Horlogerie, and is located in the Porto Arabia precinct of Doha’s exclusive shopping island, The Pearl-Qatar.

To celebrate the launch, the company founder Richard Mille hosted a glamorous reception and dinner at Nobu in the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, attended by more than 150 of Qatar’s most notable watch collectors, enthusiasts and prominent social figures.

Adel Ali Bin Ali, the chairman and president of Ali Bin Ali Group, Nabeel Ali Bin Ali vice chairman and executive vice president of Ali Bin Ali Group and Peter Harrison, the chief executive of Richard Mille Europe, Middle East & Africa were also present.

French DJ Claude Challe, creator of the renowned Buddha Bar music, opened and rounded off the evening with his legendary lounge music. Guests enjoyed a rooftop cocktail reception followed by dinner, during which models presented a selection of the latest Richard Mille watches.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the world exclusive unveiling of the RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire.

The 1930s was an innovative period, when the famous Pink Lady drink for women was introduced. This balanced cocktail designed for female members of high society encapsulated a desire to modernise the rather chauvinist customs of clubs and their gentlemen clientele.

In the same spirit that sparked the creation of this ladies’ cocktail, the RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire brings a feminine approach to technique, cloaking it in the pink tones of this renowned drink.

Crafted from sections of pink sapphire taken from a single block, the case of the RM 07-02 is extremely difficult to machine.

For several years now, women have been taking up a new stance in watchmaking. While they continue to endorse gem-set watches, they are also increasingly fascinated by the complexity and technicality of watchmaking.

Always eager to please this demanding clientele, Richard Mille has created the new RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire especially for them: an automatic calibre protected by a pink sapphire case.

Featuring the pioneering case technology that was first used in the men’s RM 056 Tourbillon Sapphire, the RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire features a new in-house CRMA5 caliber assembled around a skeletonised plate in microblasted 5N gold set with diamonds, protected by a pink sapphire crystal case and is dedicated to women who are becoming increasingly fascinated by the complexity and technicality of watchmaking.

Like the RM collection, the RM 07-02 features exceptional technical characteristics such as hand-decorated and gem-set gold bridges, a variable inertia balance wheel designed to ensure optimum performance in the long term, and a variable geometry rotor in 18K 5N red gold set with diamonds, which adapts the winding of the watch to the movements of the wearer.

The central dial in onyx and diamonds, the crown in 5N red gold and the strap in white alligator skin add the perfect finishing touches to this exceptional creation.

Harrison said: "It is a great pleasure to mark the opening of the first monobrand Richard Mille Boutique in Doha, Qatar, with a spectacular event held with our partners and friends at Ali Bin Ali. This continues a programme of developing standalone Richard Mille Boutiques in the Middle East to cater for our clients and offer a tailor-made brand experience."

With the RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire - a caliber boasting an extremely technical design as well as a highly sensual appearance - Richard Mille is opening his sapphire collection to women.

"Having the worldwide premier of this stunning timepiece in Doha signals our intention of providing the new boutique with a global prominence marked by exclusivity, luxury and excellent service," he added.