A Richard Mille watch worn by Jamaica sprinter Yohan Blake during races at the London Olympics in 2012 is to be sold in Saudi Arabia. The prototype magnesium alloy skeletonized tourbillon wristwatch is expected to sell for at least $1 million.
Richard Mille’s watches are extremely rare and very valuable. The Swiss maker specialises in highly technical watches, often skeletonized (with a translucent case that shows the mechanism inside) and usually extremely thin.
Mille watches are sports watches, but unusually, the brand insists that any athlete who partners with them must wear the watch while doing their sport.
Mille’s watches are lightweight, strong, and almost always see-through. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.
So, we see mountaineer Charles Dubouloz wearing his timepiece while hanging from a fingertip hold on a ledge. Watch footage of Rafa Nadal from recent years and you’ll see an orange-strapped Mille on his wrist.
This example, with its vibrant yellow strap completing a green, gold, and white colour scheme, reflects Jamaican flag of wearer Yohan Blake.
Blake wore the watch while running a gold medal-winning 4×100-metre relay race and to a silver medal in the 100 metres, behind teammate Usain Bolt.
The watch can withstand 300ºC temperatures. It is made from a magnesium alloy with a titanium movement.
Sotheby’s are selling the watch at their first Saudi Arabia auction, on February 8.
It goes into the sale with an estimated price of $1 million to $1.5 million.
The most valuable Richard Mille watch yet sold was a Venita RM5201 that realised $6.9 million in 2022.
Michael Jordan’s legendary number 23 is always a guaranteed seller. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Sports fans looking at this catalogue will also see a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey from the 1998 “Last Dance” games listed with an $800,000 to $1.2 million estimate.
Further down the bill is a Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal shirt worn in the 2024 UEFA European Championships quarterfinal. That should sell for more than $50,000 if estimates are right.
The top end of the watch market has remained healthy and this sale, the first by Sotheby’s to accept crypto payments, will test if new buyers are about to enter the highest levels of the collectibles scene.
