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Footballer Connor Wickham spotted wearing Richard Mille

Sunderland AFC striker Connor Wickham was photographed wearing a Richard Mille RM055 Bubba Watson All Black, reference 555.XXX — one of the most recognizable editions in Richard Mille's sport-focused catalogue and a piece that consistently draws attention both on and off the pitch.

The RM055 was developed in close collaboration with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and first appeared around 2012. Its defining feature is the case manufactured from NTPT carbon, a North Thin Ply Technology composite built from layers of carbon filament just 45 microns thick, laid at alternating 45-degree angles and compressed under heat. The result is a material stronger than titanium at a fraction of the weight. The All Black designation extends that aesthetic discipline to the skeletonized manual-wind calibre CRMA1 visible beneath — a baseplate and bridges executed in black-treated grade 5 titanium. The movement delivers approximately 55 hours of power reserve and beats at 28,800 vph, with functions limited to hours, minutes, and seconds in keeping with Richard Mille's philosophy of reducing unnecessary complication in an athlete's timepiece.

Among collectors, the RM055 Bubba Watson occupies a specific niche. It is not the most complex piece in the catalogue, but the All Black execution — with its monochromatic carbon case, black PVD titanium crown, and blackened movement architecture — reads as one of the most cohesive design statements Richard Mille has produced. Production volumes are tightly controlled, and the reference has maintained consistent grey-market premiums over its retail price since release.

Wickham's choice places him alongside a well-documented cohort of Premier League and Championship footballers who have adopted Richard Mille as their luxury brand of reference. The brand's association with high-performance sport, its conspicuous skeletonized dials, and its unambiguous price positioning make it a recurring presence in professional football circles.

The Richard Mille RM055 Bubba Watson All Black carried a UK RRP of approximately £63,000 at the time of this sighting. On the secondary market, demand for clean examples in the 555.XXX reference range has kept prices firm, with grey-market valuations regularly tracking above retail — a pattern consistent across the broader RM55 family.