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Footballer Karim Benzema spotted wearing Richard Mille

Karim Benzema, spotted in his capacity as Real Madrid's first-choice striker and one of football's most decorated forwards, was photographed wearing the Richard Mille RM011 Yellow Flash — a limited edition of just 50 pieces that represents one of the Geneva manufacture's most covetable flyback chronograph references.

The RM011 is the foundational chronograph reference in Richard Mille's catalogue, introduced in 2007 and developed in partnership with Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa. Its movement, the calibre RMAC1, is a skeletonized automatic flyback chronograph with an annual calendar complication — a technically ambitious combination that occupies just 6.05mm of movement height. The architecture features a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, variable-geometry rotor, and a baseplate and bridges machined from grade 5 titanium. The Yellow Flash variant pushes the engineering aesthetic further with a NTPT Carbon case — North Thin Ply Technology carbon, a material originally developed for the aerospace and America's Cup sailing industries — shot through with yellow resin striations that give each case a unique, unrepeatable visual signature.

With production limited to 50 pieces globally, the RM011 Yellow Flash occupies serious territory within the Richard Mille collector community. The RM011 family has long been the entry point for collectors drawn to the brand's motorsport DNA over its more flamboyant skeletonized dress pieces, and limited NTPT editions consistently attract premium attention at auction. The combination of a meaningful mechanical complication — the flyback chronograph with annual calendar — and extreme rarity makes the Yellow Flash one of the most sought-after RM011 variants ever produced.

Benzema's relationship with Richard Mille is well-documented. The Ballon d'Or winner became a brand ambassador and has been photographed across multiple RM references over the years, but the Yellow Flash sighting underlines his preference for technically serious, visually confrontational pieces rather than safe luxury signifiers. For a player of his calibre and profile, the choice of a 50-piece limited edition rather than a mainstream reference communicates genuine collector awareness.

At a UK list price of approximately £135,000, the Richard Mille RM011 Yellow Flash commands serious retail consideration. On the secondary market, ultra-limited NTPT Carbon RM011 editions have consistently traded above retail, with grey-market premiums reflecting both the scarcity of 50-piece production runs and the sustained global demand for Richard Mille's chronograph references among high-profile collectors.