Watch Paparazzi

Golfer Bubba Watson spotted wearing Richard Mille

Bubba Watson was photographed on his wrist with one of the most literally personal objects in modern horology: the Richard Mille RM 38-01 Tourbillon Bubba Watson, a watch that bears his name, his input, and his limited-edition number — just 38 examples produced worldwide.

The RM 38-01 sits within Richard Mille's dedicated sports performance lineage, developed in close technical partnership with Watson over several years. The manually wound tourbillon movement — caliber RM 38-01 — features a variable geometry rotor and a proprietary shock-absorption system designed around the demands of a professional golf swing, which can generate peak forces exceeding 1,000 g's at the club head. The baseplate and bridges are constructed from Carbon TPT and grade-5 titanium, materials sourced from aerospace engineering. The tonneau case measures 50.05mm × 42.70mm × 16.15mm, and the movement operates at 21,600 vph with an 80-hour power reserve. The white colorway — accented with Watson's signature blue — became the defining visual identity of the piece.

Among collectors, the RM 38-01 occupies a specific and coveted niche: athlete-collaboration tourbillons from Richard Mille's early limited-edition series have demonstrated consistent long-term value retention, driven by scarcity, technical substance, and the cultural weight of the partnership. With only 38 references in circulation globally, secondary market liquidity is extremely low, meaning these pieces rarely surface and command significant premiums when they do.

Bubba Watson has been a Richard Mille ambassador since the brand's push into professional golf, and his relationship with the manufacture predates the RM 38-01 — he was among the first elite golfers to wear an RM on Tour, helping to establish the brand's credibility in the sport. Watson wearing this watch is not celebrity product placement; it is documentation of a genuine industrial collaboration between athlete and watchmaker.

The UK list price was set at £375,000, placing this squarely among Richard Mille's upper-tier tourbillon offerings. On the grey market, examples — when they appear — trade at or above retail, reflecting the closed-loop scarcity of a 38-piece edition tied to a named, active sports ambassador at the height of his career.