Watch Paparazzi

Cricketer Hardik Pandya spotted wearing Richard Mille

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was recently photographed wearing a 45mm Richard Mille RM023RG — an 18k pink gold tonneau-case automatic with a bezel comprehensively set with factory diamonds. The sighting reinforces Pandya's standing as one of cricket's most serious watch collectors, a reputation earned through consistent appearances in six-figure timepieces both on and off the field.

The RM023 occupies an interesting position within the Richard Mille ecosystem. Unlike the brand's celebrated manual-wind skeletonized pieces, the RM023 houses an automatic movement — calibre CRMA1 — a self-winding mechanism developed in collaboration with Renaud & Papi that offers hours, minutes, seconds, and date. The tonneau-shaped case measures 45mm and in pink gold already weighs considerably more than the carbon or titanium sport references the brand is best known for. In full diamond bezel configuration, the watch becomes an exercise in precious-material density, a deliberate counterpoint to the technical spartan aesthetic of pieces like the RM011 or RM035.

From a collector standpoint, the RM023 is not among Richard Mille's most discussed references — it lacks the Le Mans-born racing narrative or the celebrity co-sign of a signature edition — but that relative quietness is precisely what makes it interesting. It is a dress watch in the Richard Mille idiom: automatic, gold, and now diamond-set. Production numbers are limited, and the combination of 18k pink gold with a factory-set bezel represents a configuration that very few examples reach the secondary market in.

Hardik Pandya's relationship with luxury watches mirrors his broader public persona: high-visibility, unapologetically premium. The Mumbai Indians captain and India national team all-rounder occupies a unique commercial position in Indian cricket — arguably the sport's most marketable active player alongside Virat Kohli — and his watch selections are closely followed by a young, aspirational audience across South Asia.

At a retail price of $179,000 USD, the RM023RG in full diamond bezel configuration sits firmly in the upper tier of the Richard Mille catalogue. On the grey market, pink gold automatic references from Richard Mille typically hold value well, with demand from Middle Eastern and South Asian buyers keeping prices stable or above retail for cleaner examples.