Footballer Riyad Mahrez spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Riyad Mahrez has never been shy about his passion for serious watchmaking, and a recent sighting confirms the Algerian winger was wearing a Richard Mille RM029 Automatic medium set with brilliant-cut diamonds — a piece that carries particular weight given reports that three watches were stolen from his Manchester residence around the same period. Whether this is one of the recovered pieces or a separate acquisition remains unclear, but the watch itself demands close attention.

The Richard Mille RM029 Automatic sits within the brand's core collection as one of its more technically dense everyday references. Powered by an in-house automatic movement with a skeletonized architecture that exposes its intricate mechanics through both the dial and caseback, the RM029 goes beyond pure aesthetics. The movement delivers a day/night indicator alongside an oversized date display — complications that Richard Mille integrates with characteristic architectural boldness rather than traditional subtlety. Arabic numerals replace the usual index markers, lending the dial unusual legibility for a fully open-worked watch.

The 'medium set' designation refers to the brilliant-cut diamonds set into the middle section of the tonneau case, a finishing tier that sits between the entry-level and fully pavé configurations Richard Mille offers across its diamond variants. The combination of exposed movement engineering and gem-setting is a deliberate tension the brand has mastered — haute joaillerie meeting motorsport-derived construction philosophy.

From a collector standpoint, the RM029 occupies a nuanced position in the Richard Mille catalogue. It lacks the headline status of the RM011 or RM035, but its relative scarcity in diamond configurations and the completeness of its complication set make it a genuine collector's piece rather than a pure status symbol. Production numbers for diamond-set variants are tight, and finding one in unworn condition on the secondary market is genuinely uncommon.

Mahrez's relationship with Richard Mille runs deep — the brand has historically cultivated strong ties with elite footballers and athletes globally. At a grey-market valuation near $130,000, the Richard Mille RM029 medium set represents a meaningful asset, which makes the reported theft from his home a significant loss by any measure.