Athlete Nafi Thiam spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Two-time Olympic heptathlon gold medalist Nafi Thiam was recently spotted wearing the Richard Mille RM 07-04, the brand's first watch conceived from the ground up as a sports timepiece for women. The sighting underlines the deepening relationship between Thiam and Richard Mille, a partnership that places the watch directly in its intended context — on the wrist of an elite athlete whose physical demands are anything but decorative.

The Richard Mille RM 07-04 is built around a 30mm case machined from green Quartz TPT, a proprietary composite material produced by layering silica filaments with a quartz binding agent under high pressure and temperature. The result is a case that is simultaneously ultra-light, highly resistant to deformation, and visually distinctive — no two Quartz TPT cases share the same natural pattern. A pink inner bezel and coordinating strap introduce a colour contrast that is deliberate rather than incidental, reflecting the aesthetic brief that guided the entire project.

Powering the RM 07-04 is the new CRMA 8 calibre, an automatic movement developed by Richard Mille. It displays hours and minutes alongside a functions selector, allowing the wearer to switch between winding, neutral, and time-setting modes without compromising the movement. The architecture prioritises both shock resistance and precision — qualities that matter on a competition track as much as they do in the paddock.

Nafi Thiam's association with Richard Mille is well established. The brand has long cultivated relationships with athletes who can stress-test its watches under genuine performance conditions, from Rafael Nadal on clay to Bubba Watson on a fairway. Thiam, whose heptathlon demands explosive sprinting, jumping, and throwing, represents a credible proof of concept for a ladies' sports watch that is not merely a fashion object.

The Richard Mille RM 07-04 in green Quartz TPT carries an official retail price of $185,000 USD. As with most current-production Richard Mille references, secondary market premiums are likely, though allocation scarcity and boutique relationships remain the primary gatekeeping mechanism for prospective buyers.