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Rapper Huang Zitao spotted wearing Richard Mille

Huang Zitao, the Chinese rapper and former K-pop star better known as Z.TAO, was recently photographed wearing a Richard Mille RM11-04 Flyback Chronograph in Carbon TPT — a watch that represents one of the most technically layered collaborations in Richard Mille's catalogue. The sighting is entirely on-brand for an artist who has built a public persona around high-end fashion and unapologetic luxury signalling.

The Richard Mille RM11-04 Roberto Mancini edition is built around the calibre RMAC2, an automatic flyback chronograph movement with annual calendar and GMT complication, running at 28,800 vph with a 55-hour power reserve. The case material is the real talking point: Carbon TPT, Richard Mille's proprietary composite manufactured by North Thin Ply Technology, involves stacking over 600 layers of carbon filament, each just 45 microns thick, oriented at 45-degree angles and impregnated with a black resin. The result is a case that weighs almost nothing yet withstands extraordinary mechanical stress. Dimensions sit at 50mm × 40mm — unmistakably Richard Mille in its tonneau-shaped, skeletonised bravado.

The RM11-04 was developed in partnership with Roberto Mancini — the Italian football manager who led Manchester City to multiple Premier League titles and guided Italy to the UEFA Euro 2020 championship. Mancini's involvement gave the piece its distinctive colourway and Italian football iconography, lending the watch a cross-cultural collectibility that extends well beyond the watch community. Production numbers were tightly controlled, reinforcing its status on the secondary market.

For Huang Zitao, the choice is coherent. Since leaving EXO in 2015 and establishing himself as a solo rapper and actor in China, he has cultivated a luxury-first image, regularly appearing in campaigns for major fashion houses. A Carbon TPT Richard Mille RM11-04 sits comfortably alongside that positioning — it is not a watch that whispers wealth, it announces it in technical fluency.

On the grey market, the RM11-04 Roberto Mancini in Carbon TPT commands prices in the £400,000–£500,000 range depending on condition and provenance, reflecting both the scarcity of Carbon TPT references and the sustained demand for limited Richard Mille collaborations. Retail pricing, where it was ever publicly listed, was significantly lower — underlining how effectively these pieces appreciate once they leave authorised channels.