Footballer Benjamin Mendy spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Benjamin Mendy was photographed on the Côte d'Azur wearing a Richard Mille RM011 'Black Night,' a blacked-out version of one of the Swiss independent manufacture's most technically ambitious references. The sighting came during Mendy's time at AS Monaco, before his high-profile move to Manchester City, and underlines the longstanding relationship between elite footballers and Richard Mille's tonneau-shaped statement pieces.

The RM011 is no mere aesthetic exercise. Introduced in 2007, it houses the calibre RMAC1 — a movement developed in partnership with Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi — delivering a flyback chronograph, annual calendar, GMT function, and date display within a case that measures just 11.5 mm thick. The annual calendar mechanism requires only one correction per year, at the end of February, making it one of the more practical grande complications in the catalogue. The baseplate and bridges are machined from grade-5 titanium, keeping the movement's mass to a minimum despite the functional density.

The 'Black Night' designation refers to the case construction: Carbon TPT, a composite material Richard Mille developed for motorsport applications, formed by layering parallel carbon filaments at 45-degree angles under high pressure. Each case emerges with a unique grain pattern, meaning no two examples are visually identical. Combined with a blackened movement and dark rubber strap, the result is one of the most visually cohesive executions in the RM011 family.

Collector appetite for RM011 variants has remained strong throughout the reference's production run, which spanned well over a decade. The 'Black Night' in particular commands attention on the secondary market for its rarity relative to standard titanium examples and its crossover appeal between watch collectors and a broader luxury lifestyle audience. The Carbon TPT case also ages well, resisting scratches more effectively than polished metals.

Mendy acquired the piece during a period when footballers were cementing Richard Mille's reputation as the default choice for elite sport. Listed at approximately £120,000 in the UK, the RM011 'Black Night' trades hands on the grey market at a considerable premium, reflecting sustained demand for discontinued Carbon TPT references across the RM011 line.