How much would you spend on a watch? Ten dollars? A hundred? How about a million.
Well, if you’re in the market for a million-dollar watch, Richard Mille has you covered. The luxury brand was launched in 2001 and has quickly become one of the most expensive and most recognizable names in ultra-expensive watchmaking. The brand’s first watch was priced at a whopping $135,000 and just 17 units were made, setting the stage for exclusive and expensive designs.
Today, Richard Mille watches regularly sell for millions of dollars. Even the brand’s cheapest designs will set you back at least 60 grand — and that would be a bargain.
So just how pricey can these timepieces get? And what’s the most expensive Richard Mille watch ever made? Find out with this top 10 list!
10. RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph
Quantity Made: 500
Design Feature: Built-in 55 hour power reserve
Interesting Fact: This watch was designed for wealthy McLaren clients
photo source: hodinkee.com
Kicking off our list is Richard Mille’s collaboration with McLaren. The two brands came together to make a wristwatch fit for wealthy sports car drivers featuring insanely specific attention to detail.
Like other RMs, this watch includes a handmade caliber (internal mechanisms) and touches of gold. The limited-edition design was initially made available to McLaren’s most high-profile clients, but this is actually a less rare RM design. Believe it or not, many Richard Mille watch designs are produced fewer than 100 times.
Did you know?
Beyond 18-karat gold, this watch features pricey titanium and Richard Mille’s proprietary casing made of carbon and gold leaf.
9. RM 026-01 Tourbillon Panda
Quantity Made: 30
Design Feature: Alligator leather strap
Interesting Fact: This was RM’s first foray into the combination of art and watchmaking
photo source: thejewelleryeditor.com
Watchmaking is arguably an art form in and of itself, but Richard Mille’s 2011 Tourbillon Panda really blurred the line between practices. The watch features RM’s expected attention to detail and handmade craftsmanship, but it also features an adorable panda made of diamonds and sapphires.
The design was RM’s first to feature artwork on the dial, setting the stage for some of the brand’s most recognizable future designs.
With rare materials like alligator leather, diamonds, and even black onyx, the Tourbillon Panda is priced just south of half a million dollars.
Did you know?
When launching his brand, Richard Mille says he wanted to “create a new, ultra-high-end luxury segment within the high-end watch business.”
8. RM 59-01 Tourbillon Yohan Blake
Quantity Made: 50
Design Feature: Aerodynamic design
Interesting Fact: This watch was created for an Olympic gold medalist
photo source: hodinkee.com
Professional runners know aerodynamic design is vital — and Yohan Blake is no exception. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has an impressive track record, but he doesn’t stop there. In 2013, it was announced that Blake and Richard Mille were releasing a collaborative design made specifically for sprinters.
Blake had been seen wearing an RM watch the year prior when he won silver at a 100-meter race, so the partnership made sense. The new watch would be limited to 50 units, with Blake of course getting one for himself, and each timepiece was priced at a jaw-dropping $620,000.
Did you know?
Yohan Blake is from Jamaica. Like his country’s flag, this watch features yellow and green.
7. Rafael Nadal Watch No. 3
Quantity Made: 50
Design Feature: Withstands g-force up to 5,000
Interesting Fact: This watch was specially designed for pro tennis players
photo source: monochrome-watches.com
Rafael Nadal is a champion tennis player. As one of the greats, Nadal is no stranger to high-dollar collaborations. His multi-million-dollar net worth grew thanks to sponsorship deals with brands like Nike and Tommy Hilfiger, both of which earned him millions.
In 2015, Nadal expanded his portfolio with a Richard Mille collaboration. The athlete had already worked with RM twice before, but this new partnership marked the duo’s most expensive watch at the time. The $775,000 design was specifically made for intense tennis matches, with features like an ultra-durable design and lightweight footprint.
Did you know?
Rafael Nadal has been sponsored by KIA Motors since the early 2000s.
6. RM 051 – Michelle Yeoh
Quantity Made: 18
Design Feature: Phoenix artwork on the watch face
Interesting Fact: 18, the number of units made, is reportedly Yeoh’s favorite number
photo source: my-watchsite.com
At number six is another collaborative design. This time it’s the RM 051, a timepiece made in partnership with internationally renowned actress Michelle Yeoh. The design features a phoenix made of diamonds. A phoenix can symbolize “grace, feminine beauty and strength.” Other interpretations say a phoenix represents “rebirth, renewal, immortality, healing, and the eternal fire.”
At nearly a million dollars, Michelle Yeoh’s RM 051 is one of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever made.
Did you know?
Michelle Yeoh was born in Malaysia. The star has credits in a huge range of films, including Crazy Rich Asians, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Kung Fu Panda 2.
5. RM 50-04 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Kimi Räikkönen
Quantity Made: 30
Design Feature: Highly impact-resistant casing
Interesting Fact: This watch is named after an F1 driver from Finland
photo source: forbes.com
At number five is a watch named after Finland’s “most celebrated F1 driver,” Kimi Räikkönen. The design is extremely durable, with intense impact resistance and highly precise time measurements.
Like other Richard Mille creations, Räikkönen’s wristwatch is exceptionally exclusive. Only 30 units were made, making this one of the rarest and most expensive watches on the planet. It’s also the first watch on this list to cross the million-dollar mark.
Did you know?
This watch features quartz TPT. The durable material is made of more than 600 layers of silicon which are altered and made extremely impact resistant through a unique processing method.
4. RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon
Quantity Made: 10
Design Feature: Purse sapphire
Interesting Fact: Richard Mille was the first to make a watch like this using pure sapphire
photo source: thejewelleryeditor.com
With the RM 56-02, Richard Mille pushed the limits of luxury materials and technical materials. The watch was the second follow-up to RM’s first foray into pure sapphire movements (the technical portions of a watch that make it run).
The updated design maintained the style’s luxury and exclusivity with a limited 10-unit release and a two-point-two-million-dollar price tag.
Did you know?
With a watch this expensive, durability is a must. Richard Mille tried to make sure the design would last by surrounding the sapphire movement with grade 5 titanium. The design was also crafted to allow “an easy visual inspection” in case of malfunctions.
3. Jay-Z’s Richard Mille Watch
Quantity Made: 1
Design Feature: Sapphire case
Interesting Fact: This watch took 3,000 hours to make
photo source:gq.com
Not much is known about Jay-Z’s custom Richard Mille, but we do know the timepiece is incredibly expensive. Estimates peg the price tag at about $2.5 million.
The one-of-a-kind design took a whopping 3,000 hours to complete, which breaks down to about $830 an hour in case you were wondering.
As a custom design for a high-profile client, Jay-Z’s watch is kind of mysterious. We know the design features a sapphire case, but that’s about it. Jay-Z seems happy with the purchase though. As GQ points out, the artist appeared to twist his wrist toward the camera to subtly show off his timepiece in a 2019 photo.
Did you know?
Jay-Z is worth about $1.3 billion.
2. Rafael Nadal Watch No. 4
Quantity Made: 50
Design Feature: Manual winding movement
Interesting Fact: This watch was produced in 2021
photo source:chrono24.com
At number two is Rafael Nadal’s fourth collaboration with Richard Mille. The manual-winding watch edges out Jay-Z’s watch by $20,000, making it one of the priciest RM watches money can buy.
Like previous Nadal-RM watches, this timepiece was an ultra-limited creation. Only 50 units were made, instantly boosting their value.
Did you know?
Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players of all time. The athlete is called “the king of the French Open,” holding the most Grand Slam titles “on the clay surface at Roland-Garros.” In 2022, the total prize money for winning the French Open was more than $40 million.
1. RM 52-01 Blue Sapphire Tourbillon Skull Edition
Quantity Made: 10 or fewer
Design Feature: Skull design on the watch face
Interesting Fact: This watch is water-resistant
photo source:wristaficionado.com
RM 52-01 Blue Sapphire Tourbillon Skull Edition is the most expensive Richard Mille watch ever made.
Priced at more than $2.6 million, Richard Mille’s exclusive Skull Edition sapphire watch is easily one of the most expensive timepieces on the planet. The ultra-expensive design features an eye-catching skull on the watch face and stunning blue sapphire along the casing. Although reports vary, most outlets agree that 10 or fewer examples of this rare design were crafted. Would you buy this watch?
Did you know?
Richard Mille offers more than 80 watch models, including many that sell for more than a million dollars. Richard partnered with Dominique Guenat when the company was just getting started. Richard Mille says the two share a passion for “all things mechanical.”
