Footballer Javier Chicharito Hernández spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández, one of Mexico's most celebrated footballers and a prominent figure in MLS with LA Galaxy, was recently spotted wearing a Richard Mille RM 27-02 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal on a black strap — a watch so rare and technically extreme that even within the rarefied world of Richard Mille, it occupies a category of its own.

The Richard Mille RM 27-02 was developed in close partnership with Rafael Nadal and introduced as the successor to the RM 27-01. Its defining engineering achievement is a cable-suspended movement — a tourbillon calibre held in place by braided steel cables tensioned to 30 kilograms — allowing it to absorb shocks of up to 10,000 g-forces. The case is constructed from NTPT Carbon, a layered composite material borrowed from America's Cup yacht construction, which gives the watch its distinctive wood-grain surface pattern while keeping the total weight under 20 grams including strap. The manual-winding tourbillon movement offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve.

Production of the RM 27-02 was capped at 50 numbered pieces, a figure that places it firmly among the most collectible references in the entire Richard Mille catalogue. Unlike many limited editions that carry the designation loosely, the 50-piece ceiling here reflects the genuine difficulty of assembling and regulating the cable-suspended architecture to the brand's standards. Secondary market demand has consistently outpaced supply since the reference was announced, and examples rarely surface through conventional auction channels.

Chicharito's affinity for Richard Mille is well documented — the brand has a deep-rooted connection to professional sport, and its watches function as a kind of insider currency among elite athletes across disciplines. Spotting the RM 27-02 specifically on a footballer's wrist rather than a tennis player's is a reminder that these pieces long ago transcended their sporting origin stories and entered the broader luxury collector conversation.

The UK list price was set at £550,000 — placing the Richard Mille RM 27-02 Rafael Nadal firmly above most Swiss independents and even above many Patek Philippe grand complications. On the grey market, where supply is essentially non-existent, verified transactions have pushed significantly beyond that figure when examples do change hands.