Richard Mille’s Mechanical Marvels: A Collector’s Guide to the Most Coveted Timepieces

With so many stunning examples to choose from, these are our picks for Richard Mille’s best creations.

Richard Mille has rapidly ascended the ranks of the horology scene, with prices for its watches on the secondary market often exceeding double the original retail value. The Swiss watchmaker’s popularity isn’t solely due to its expert craftsmen, it also benefits from an extensive roster of high-profile celebrities and athletes who proudly sport Richard Mille timepieces. These brand ambassadors are experts in their respective fields and often wear bespoke Richard Mille models. From manufacturers like Ferrari to individuals like pro golfer Bubba Watson, Richard Mille surrounds itself with these leaders to showcase the diverse abilities of their timeless creations.

Over its 22-year history, the brand’s watches have continued to gain traction among collectors who are always on the hunt for these highly sought-after pieces. In our special feature, we round up the most iconic Richard Mille watches ever produced. While many RM models are nearly impossible to acquire due to limited runs, a select few can be found on the pre-owned market through specialized dealers. Discover and explore the best of the best Richard Mille luxury watches in our carefully curated list by following the links below.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari

The RM UP-01 Ferrari is an allusive piece to Ferrari’s values, developing sporting mechanisms that are as elegant as they are immediately recognizable. Their models make no concessions and frequently contradict current trends to create new aesthetical codes. The RM UP-01 Ferrari bears witness to this partnership of the best know-how these two iconic brands have to offer in the combination of their ideas, understanding, respective developments and shared values. Additionally, the new RM UP-01 Ferrari establishes its dominance as one of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever made.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari Retail Price: $1.888 Million

Richard Mille RM 40-01 McLaren Speedtail

Despite the extraordinary anatomy of the case, Salvador Arbona, Richard Mille’s Movement Technical Director, created a horological ‘engine’ that seamlessly occupies all the available space and introduces a level of mechanical sophistication that makes the RM 40-01 an appropriately extraordinary companion to the Speedtail. McLaren’s relentless pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency provided the starting point for the design of the RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillon McLaren Speedtail.

Richard Mille RM 40-01 Speedtail Retail Price: $1,300,000

Richard Mille RM 38-02 Bubba Watson

The RM 38-02 Tourbillon Bubba Watson is the fourth watch of the collection bearing Bubba’s name over the sportsman’s 10 years with the Richard Mille family. Produced in a numbered limited edition of 50 pieces, it is pretty much the watchmaking equivalent of a hole in one.

Richard Mille RM 38-02 Bubba Watson Price: $980,000

Richard Mille RM 69 Erotic

The RM 69 offers its wearers the pure pleasure of the new Richard Mille “Oracle” complication, a mechanism that sets off the rotation of three grade 5 titanium engraved rollers like Tibetan prayer wheels, displaying a random phrase. This tripartite tonneau-shaped case is fully curved, which enables the watch to be ergonomic and comfortable, but is time consuming to produce and requires a high level of quality control.

Richard Mille RM 69 Erotic Retail Price: $783,000

Richard Mille RM 052 Skull

The RM 052 Skull presented in 2012 is a visualisation of these precepts. This new caliber represents the fullest expression of liberty and nonconformity and as such, very much typifies the philosophy of the brand. Extreme technique, high performance, the highest level of aesthetic and hand-finishing: the Richard Mille Skull watch is true Haute Horlogerie.

Richard Mille 052 Skull Retail Price: $500,000

Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal

Developing the Nadal line, always an attractive prospect, means ambitiously pursuing continued technical improvements, while keeping the watch’s aesthetics up to date through advantageous use of new materials—like the Carbon TPT® line—and new colors. Inspired by the RM 35-01, the RM 35-02 emerged in response to a request from many Richard Mille customers for a self-winding mechanism at the heart of a Nadal calibre.

Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafal Nadal Price: Waitlist

Richard Mille 61-01 Yohan Blake

The RM 61-01 Yohan Blake takes all of its cues from the RM 59-01 tourbillon designed for the Olympic medallist and 2nd fastest man over 100m and 200m. It incorporates the calibre RMUL2, whose highly skeletonised grade 5 titanium movement is treated with PVD and Titalyt® to provide maximum performance.

Richard Mille RM 61-01 Yohan Blake Retail Price: $145,000

Richard Mille RM 11-04 Roberto Mancini

The idea of creating a mechanical watch with a dedicated dial for tracking half-time, extra time and overtime might seem an obvious one, however, the ingenious display, combined with the availability of a flyback chronograph, gives Roberto complete mastery of time on the playing field. While conceding nothing of the ingenuity that characterised the RM 11-01, the RM 11-04 incorporates the brand’s latest style codes, as seen in the new lines of the crown, its variable-geometry rotor and its ultra-sporty case in Carbon TPT® with raised crenulations.

Richard Mille RM 11-04 Roberto Mancini Retail Price: $189,500

Richard Mille RM 67-02

Starting with the RM 67-01, whose lightness, thinness and ergonomics made it a perfect candidate, we reworked its lines to highlight its hidden athletic qualities. The definition of the bezels and case with four extensions, in addition to being a hallmark of the brand’s sports watches, contributes to the reinforcement the case structure. The RM 67-02 weighs a mere of 32 grams, thanks to the combination of TPT® composite materials, grade 5 titanium and the elastic wristband, the lightest strap ever created by the brand.

Richard Mille RM 67-02 Retail Price: $120,500

Richard Mille RM 52-05 Pharrell Williams

Conjuring the visions, fantasies, and other imaginary projections of the brand’s partners is a familiar quest for Richard Mille, one that begins all over with every new adventure. A truly artistic project, the development of the RM 52-05 is special for the way it hinges on interpreting an idea, a symbol and a desire. This last has taken the form of a tourbillon whose originality lies in its astonishingly multidisciplinary techniques.

Richard Mille 52-05 Pharrell Williams Retail Price: $969,000

Source: Richard Mille