Watch Paparazzi

Singer Will Pan spotted wearing Richard Mille

Will Pan, one of Taiwan's most recognizable Mandopop artists, was recently photographed wearing what is arguably the most culturally loaded watch in Richard Mille's entire catalog: the RM 57-03 Dragon Tourbillon in NTPT Carbon, a piece limited to just 55 examples globally.

The RM 57-03 is built around a manually wound tourbillon movement — Calibre RMT57-01 — constructed entirely from grade 5 titanium with a baseplate and bridges engineered from NTPT carbon, the same fiber-composite technology used in Formula 1 and America's Cup sailing. The movement operates at 21,600 vph, offers approximately 45 hours of power reserve, and is equipped with a function selector to prevent inadvertent crown manipulation. But the movement, impressive as it is, plays second fiddle to the dial architecture: a three-dimensional dragon and phoenix sculpted in grand feu enamel and hand-painted, visible through a sapphire crystal case base. The outer case itself is fashioned from North Thin Ply Technology carbon — layers of carbon fiber laid at precise 45-degree angles and compressed under heat, producing the material's distinctive wood-grain marbling pattern that ensures no two cases are visually identical.

The RM 57-03 succeeded the RM 57-01, which featured a suspended Spider-Man figure, cementing a lineage of Richard Mille references that use the case as a stage for sculptural miniature art. The Dragon edition, however, carries overt cultural symbolism that speaks directly to Chinese and broader Asian collector sensibilities — the dragon representing imperial power and fortune, the phoenix representing rebirth and grace. Richard Mille produced only 55 pieces, a number chosen for its auspicious significance in Chinese numerology.

Will Pan's affinity for high-horology is well documented among watch-spotters tracking East Asian celebrity wrists. His choice of the RM 57-03 is consistent with a broader pattern among Mandopop and C-pop artists gravitating toward Richard Mille references that blend technical credibility with cultural narrative — watches that read as statements rather than accessories.

With a UK list price of £850,000 and a production run of 55 units already fully allocated, the Richard Mille RM 57-03 Dragon Tourbillon commands significant premiums on the secondary market. Grey market transactions, when they surface, routinely exceed list, placing valuations well into seven-figure USD territory. Authenticated examples with full box and papers are exceptionally rare and trade privately among a small circle of serious collectors.