Watch Paparazzi

Athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim spotted wearing Richard Mille

Mutaz Essa Barshim, the Qatari high jumper who shared Olympic gold with Gianmarco Tamberi at Tokyo 2020 and claimed sole gold in Paris 2024, was recently spotted wearing a Richard Mille RM 029 Automatic Le Mans Classic — a limited edition that quietly represents some of the most ambitious composite case work the Geneva-based manufacturer has ever attempted.

The RM 029 was introduced as Richard Mille's first self-winding movement in a tonneau case, housing the in-house RMAC1 automatic calibre. That movement features a variable-geometry rotor, a free-sprung balance with adjustable inertia, and a function selector that separates winding, neutral, and hand-setting modes to protect the movement during manipulation. Power reserve sits at approximately 55 hours, and the movement operates at 4 Hz. The case measures 47.35 mm × 39.74 mm, consistent with Richard Mille's signature elongated tonneau architecture.

What elevates the Le Mans Classic edition above the standard RM 029 catalogue is the material execution. The caseband is machined from a single solid block of white Quartz TPT® — a silica-based composite built from hundreds of superimposed layers of quartz filaments impregnated with resin and cut at precise angles, producing the characteristic irregular striation pattern. The front and back bezels shift to green Quartz TPT®, and the double Le Mans racing stripes on the front bezel are achieved by physically inlaying separate pieces of white Quartz TPT® into the green material — a process Richard Mille describes as a brand first, requiring tolerances that challenge even their own production team. The result is a case that weighs almost nothing yet reads as visually complex as a piece of marquetry.

For collectors, the RM 029 Le Mans Classic occupies a specific niche: it combines the approachability of an automatic movement — always more practical than a manual tourbillon — with the rarity of a themed composite limited edition tied to one of motorsport's most storied events. Richard Mille's relationship with Le Mans Classic racing adds documentary legitimacy beyond pure aesthetics.

Barshim's connection to Richard Mille fits the brand's established pattern of aligning with athletes whose disciplines demand the same obsessive weight reduction and structural integrity the watches embody. On the grey market, Quartz TPT® limited editions from Richard Mille command significant premiums over retail, and the RM 029 Le Mans Classic is no exception given its constrained production numbers.