Footballer Neymar Jr spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Neymar Jr was photographed wearing what appears to be a Richard Mille RM 052 Skull Tourbillon, a watch that instantly triggered an authenticity debate in collector circles — a reaction that is, frankly, more revealing than the sighting itself. The Brazilian forward has long been one of Richard Mille's most high-profile ambassadors, making the fake-or-genuine question particularly pointed.

The RM 052 was introduced in 2011 and represents one of Richard Mille's most sculpturally ambitious references. The calibre RM52-01 is a hand-wound tourbillon movement built on a grade 5 titanium baseplate and bridges, with the skull architecture machined directly into the movement architecture — not applied, but integral to the structural skeletonisation. The case measures 50.05mm x 42.70mm in grade 5 titanium, and the movement comprises 19 jewels with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. Each example demands several hundred hours of artisanal finishing, which contributes directly to the piece's extreme production scarcity.

From a collector standpoint, the RM 052 occupies a specific niche: it is simultaneously one of Richard Mille's most recognised references outside dedicated horological circles and one of the most aggressively faked. The skull motif gives it strong visual identity, which makes high-quality replicas commercially viable and, for the untrained eye, difficult to dismiss at a glance. Auction results for authenticated examples consistently exceed £350,000–£450,000, which only incentivises the counterfeit market further.

Neymar's relationship with Richard Mille predates his PSG move, with the brand reportedly supplying him with multiple references throughout his Barcelona years. He has worn RM 011, RM 027, and various tourbillon pieces publicly. Whether this specific example is genuine is impossible to confirm from photographic evidence alone — a point serious collectors understand well. Case finishing, crown detail, and movement visibility through the sapphire crystal are the tell-tale indicators, none of which are conclusively readable here.

At retail, the RM 052 in titanium was listed in the region of $650,000–$700,000 depending on configuration and market. On the secondary market, authenticated examples command significant premiums given extreme scarcity. The counterfeit versions, meanwhile, circulate in the £500–£5,000 range — a spectrum wide enough to make even a careful observer pause.