Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Steven Forkosh spotted wearing Richard Mille

Steven Forkosh, the New York-based tech entrepreneur and real estate developer known for his unapologetically high-spec taste in horology, was recently photographed wearing what may be the single most technically audacious wristwatch ever produced: the Richard Mille RM056 All-Sapphire Tourbillon, numbered 1 out of a total production run of five pieces.

The RM056 represents the apex of Richard Mille's long obsession with sapphire crystal as a structural — not merely decorative — material. Unlike watches that use sapphire only for the caseback or dial, the RM056 case is constructed entirely from four blocks of synthetic sapphire, each milled using five-axis CNC equipment and polished to optical clarity. Sapphire scores 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, second only to diamond, which means it cannot be conventionally machined; every component requires diamond-tipped tooling and tolerances measured in microns. The movement inside is the manually wound Cal. RMTM-56, a split-seconds tourbillon with a power reserve of approximately 45 hours, its architecture fully visible through 360 degrees of transparent sapphire. The case measures 50.00 × 42.70 mm — large even by RM standards — and weighs just 40 grams complete.

From a collector standpoint, the RM056 occupies a category almost entirely its own. With only five pieces produced globally, it transcends conventional secondary-market logic. Piece number one — the specific example Forkosh wears — carries additional provenance weight as the inaugural production unit. Richard Mille introduced the concept at SIHH 2012, and the handful of owners form what amounts to a private club of five. No comparable sapphire monocoque construction has been replicated at this complication level by any other major manufacture.

Forkosh's affinity for extreme horology is well documented among watch-community insiders. His wrist has hosted some of the most technically demanding pieces in contemporary watchmaking, and the RM056 fits that pattern precisely — chosen not for brand visibility alone but for its engineering legitimacy.

On the market, the RM056 All-Sapphire carried a UK list price of approximately £1.2 million at release. Given the near-impossibility of acquisition — five pieces, private placement, zero grey-market inventory in any conventional sense — any transaction would occur between serious collectors at a figure the open market simply cannot price with confidence. This is a watch you inherit, commission directly, or never own.