The Most Expensive Richard Mille Watches

If we played a word association game and I said “Richard Mille,” I bet that one of the first words that would come to mind is “expensive.” Yes, Richard Mille watches are known for their sky-high price tags, generally costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. But which are the priciest of them all; the ones that only 1% of the 1% would even consider buying? Buckle up and try not to gasp as we browse some of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever made.

Richard Mille RM 56 Series

In 2012, Richard Mille unleashed the Tourbillon Chronograph Sapphire RM 056 watch onto the world, boasting a case made entirely from sapphire. In fact, the three-part case (bezel, mid-case, and caseback) was milled from one solid block of sapphire.

The RM 056 was a limited 5-piece series developed to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the partnership between Felipe Massa and Richard Mille. The RM 056 retailed for $1.65 million back in 2012 and all five examples sold out immediately. The maiden RM 056 laid the groundwork for the sapphire-centric RM 56 series, which would be home to some of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever made.

The following year, the RM 56-01 Sapphire Crystal made its debut, which not only included a full sapphire case but also a baseplate, bridges and a third wheel in sapphire, allowing even more light to shine through the transparent timepiece. Also limited to 5 pieces, the RM 56-01 had a sticker price of around $1.95 million in 2013. While the original transparent 56-01 was already eye-poppingly expensive, the colored sapphire versions (some of which are one-of-one) are even pricier. Think Jay-Z’s blue sapphire “Blueprint” RM 56-01 and green sapphire RM 56-01 watches — both custom-made by Richard Mille — as well as J Balvin’s brown sapphire RM-01 (limited to 5 pieces for the Asian market), all of which are estimated to have cost multiple millions of dollars. The Blueprint for Jay-Z was reported to be the most expensive Richard Mille made at that time.

2014 saw the arrival of the RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire, retaining the tripartite sapphire case but this time, equipped with the brand’s groundbreaking “cabled movement” (similar to the Richard Mille Rafael Nadal RM 27-01). Original price for this transparent and technically impressive timepiece? $2.02 million.

RM 52 Series

As serious as the type of tech and mechanics required to make Richard Mille, the brand certainly has fun with some of its designs. Take for example the Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 052 Skull that debuted in 2012. Taking center stage on the dial is a skull and bones sculpture, which is actually part of the movement. Parts of the skull serve as the baseplate and bridges whereas the upper and lower skull jaws hold the tourbillon cage ruby.

Plus, the back of the head is the movement’s center bridge, and peeking behind the skull are four “bones” (à la pirate flag), which are in fact four bridges that connect the movement to the case. Richard Mille initially released the RM 052 in a limited edition 21-piece series including 15 titanium versions (with a sticker price of $500,000 in 2012) and six pieces in red and white gold. Fun fact: Jonah Hill wore an RM 052 Skull “prop watch” (a.k.a. a fake) in the movie, Don’t Look Up.

Other RM Skull watches soon joined the series, in a variety of materials and colors — many of which are some of the most expensive Richard Mille watches in existence. For instance, the ultra-rare RM52-04 Sapphire Skull Tourbillon watches in red or blue, both worth well over $2 million.

In 2019, another reference joined the series in the form of the RM 52-05 Manual Winding Tourbillon Pharrell Williams, which featured an astronaut rather than a skull. Pharrell Williams’ fascination with space and Mars inspired the design; the visor of the helmet, crafted from a single piece of hand-engraved red gold, depicts a view of the surface of Mars with Earth in the background. The tourbillon peeks out from a cutout on the astronaut suit. Limited to 30 examples, the retail price of the RM 52-05 Pharrell Williams upon release was $969,000 but its value has sky-rocketed to multiple times that in the secondary market. The craziest secondary market price yet realized for am RM 52 watch, though, was over $6.5 million for a piece unique known as the RM 52-01 “Vanitas Vanitatum.”

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RM 88 Smiley

Cheerful but certainly not cheap, the Richard Mille Automatic Winding Tourbillon RM 88 Smiley landed in 2022, filled with more doodles and bright colors than a middle schooler’s notebook. The star of the show is The Smiley — the iconic image drawn by Franklin Loufrani just over 50 years ago —crafted in yellow gold. Other fun-filled imagery found on the dial includes a pineapple, rainbow, flamingo, umbrella cocktail, sun, and cactus, all finished by hand.

Limited to only 30 pieces, Richard Mille priced the RM 88 Smiley at $1.2 million upon the watch’s release, although we’ve seen it listed for sale over double that. I love that one of the most expensive Richard Mille watches is one filled with child-like joy.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari

When it was launched in 2022, the RM UP-01 Ferrari Manual Winding Ultraflat smashed the record for the world’s thinnest watch (although, oddly enough, the company never mentions that) clocking in a mere 1.75mm thick — beating out the previous record holder, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra by 0.5mm.

Inside the 51mm by 39mm titanium case is the ultra-thin Caliber RMUP-01, developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi, or APR&P, for short. Aside from its ultra-thin profile, the Richard Mille Ferrari is also ultra-expensive with an official price of $1,888,000. Only 150 examples will be produced.

Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon Rock’n’Roll

I suppose Richard Mille, the company, sees itself as the rock star of the watch world; even if its watches command enormous amounts of money, there still doesn’t seem to be enough of them to satisfy the insatiable demand. The rockstar bravado is expressed in full form via the Richard Mille RM 66 Flying Tourbillon, complete with a red gold skeletonized hand throwing the devil’s horn sign (missed opportunity to name it the RM 666, really). Wedged between the pair of raised fingers is a flying tourbillon and everything is encased inside a Carbon TPT tonneau case.

How many actual rock stars are alive today? If more than 50, then unfortunately not all of them can get their hands on the limited edition RM 66. Plus, there’s the pesky hurdle of the $1,095,000 price tag. Buy hey, in the words of Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri, “To hell with the price ’cause the money ain’t a thang.”

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Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal

In its latest collaboration with tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Richard Mille introduced the RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon in 2024. Aside from being the lightest and most shock-resistant manual-winding tourbillon watch on earth, it’s also one of the most expensive Richard Mille watches priced at $1,150,000 retail — but it’ll cost much more on the open market if you can actually find one of the only 50 made.

For More About Rafa Nadal RMs: Understanding Richard Mille Rafael Nadal Watches

What is the Most Expensive Richard Mille Watch?

The RM52-01 “Vanitas Vanitatum” sold for $6.9 million at a 2022 Antiquorum auction, which is the highest Richard Mille sale price yet. It’s a piece unique, with both a gold skull motif and a sapphire case, and all three of those factors contributed to its astronomical hammer price. Conceivably, other unique colored sapphire RM models could reach prices close to that. And if it went up for sale today, not that it would, Jay-Z’s personal one-of-one “Blueprint” sapphire RM could very well exceed that.

Achieving exceedingly expensive prices at high-profile auctions is a badge of honor in the watch world — just ask the likes of Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, F.P. Journe, and Breguet. Despite its short history, and thus lack of historically important vintage pieces, Richard Mille has had a few million-dollar-plus sales at auctions too:

• RM52-01 – Tourbillon Sapphire Skull “Vanitas Vanitatum,” Antiquorum Auction, July 2022, €6.75 mil
• RM56-01 Tourbillon Sapphire, Christie’s Auction, November 2022, CHF 3.65 mil
• RM56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire, Christie’s Auction, June 2024, CHF 3.01 mil
• RM 67-02 Charles Leclerc Prototype, Only Watch Auction 2021, CHF 2.1 mil
• RM001 (Richard Mille’s personal watch), Christie’s Auction, November 2022, CHF 2.09 mil
• RM022 AM CA, Phillips’ Auction, December 2021, $1.18 mil
• RM27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, Phillips Auction, November 2021, CHF 1.67 mil

It goes without saying that the fee to get into the Richard Mille Owners’ club is a hefty one. According to a Morgan Stanley report on the Swiss watchmaking industry in 2023, Richard Mille had an estimated turnover of CHF 1.540 billion and an estimated 5,600 watches sold. That translates to an average price of $275,000 for a Richard Mille watch. But as we’ve illustrated here, there are more than a few ultra-expensive Richard Mille watches valued at several million dollars.

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