Cartier was not primarily a watchmaker either, if they try to make in house calibers, i have no issue with them.
Neither was Montblanc and now they have acquired Minerva to have their own in-house movements. I love their pens and bags but still can't consider investing in their watches. Just read somewhere that Gucci now has an inhouse movement. Expecting a lot of action this decade
Not primarily, but they do have a rich history with some iconic designs in the watch world. Bulgari is another "non-watch" company that makes very interesting timepieces.
Hermès has been making watches since 1912 or 1928 (depending on the source) and they have has their own factory in Bienne, Switzerland since 1978. So, it's not as if they are new to the game.
I wonder if I can convince Elon Musk to bring me some moon rock to make it super legit. But I do love this piece, and I usually never go for the more abstract design "haute horology" stuff.
I have few several friends who are engineers and also love the Casio watches. The reason they find the Casio attractive is because they are so functional and inexpensive. Form follows function. To pay more is a waste of money in their worldview. So a Richard Mille is not on their radar.
It's because as soon as I saw that Richard Mille, it reminded me of G-Shock watches. Not sure why. ..