Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Huang Zitao spotted wearing Richard Mille

Huang Zitao, the Chinese rapper and entertainer who built his solo career after departing K-pop group EXO, has long been one of Asia's most visible Richard Mille clients. His latest sighting confirms that reputation: the RM 023 Rose Gold Full Set Diamond, photographed on his wrist and estimated at approximately $125,000 USD.

The Richard Mille RM 023 occupies a distinctive corner of the brand's catalogue. Unlike the tonneau-shaped skeletonised pieces that dominate Richard Mille's identity, the RM 023 is built around a more classical round case in 18k rose gold, measuring 38mm — compact by the brand's standards. The movement inside is the CRMA1 automatic calibre, beating at 28,800 vph with a 55-hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire exhibition caseback. The case construction retains Richard Mille's signature tripartite architecture with torque-locking crown, but the overall aesthetic pivots toward haute joaillerie rather than motorsport engineering.

In the full diamond configuration, the RM 023 becomes something else entirely. The bezel, case flanks, crown, lugs, and bracelet links are all set in white brilliant-cut diamonds — a labour-intensive process requiring precise matching of stones across complex curved surfaces. This is not a watch for those seeking horological subtlety; it is a statement piece that sits at the intersection of fine jewellery and mechanical watchmaking, the kind of object Richard Mille reserves for its highest-spending clientele.

Collector interest in the RM 023 remains steady precisely because it targets a different buyer than the RM 011 or RM 035. Those who find the skeletonised sports models too aggressive often gravitate here. Production numbers are extremely limited, and the full pavé diamond variant surfaces rarely at auction, which keeps grey-market premiums well above retail when examples do appear.

For Huang Zitao, the choice reads as consistent with his established collecting profile — he has been photographed in multiple Richard Mille references over the years and clearly gravitates toward the brand's more jewellery-forward expressions. At an estimated $125,000, the RM 023 Full Diamond represents the quieter, more opulent side of Richard Mille's universe — which, for this particular wrist, says everything.