Rapper Jay-Z spotted wearing a Richard Mille

A photograph taken in 2002 at a Times Square Hotel in New York captures Jay-Z wearing what is arguably the most important wristwatch of the 21st century's opening decade: the Richard Mille RM001 Tourbillon in red gold. The image predates the brand's ubiquity in rap culture by years, suggesting the rapper's acquisition was that of an early adopter rather than a follower of trends.

The Richard Mille RM001 made its public debut at Baselworld 2001, where founder Richard Mille introduced it with a theatrical flourish — hurling the watch across the exhibition floor to demonstrate its shock resistance. That single act crystallized the brand's engineering philosophy. The RM001 houses a manually wound tourbillon movement, caliber RM001, developed in collaboration with movement maker Renaud & Papi. Its baseplate and bridges are machined from grade-5 titanium, keeping the movement architecture visible and deliberately industrial. The dial presents two complications that were genuinely novel in this context: a torque indicator, which displays mainspring tension in real time and allows the wearer to optimize the movement's rate, and a power reserve display reaching 70 hours. Case dimensions sit at 38mm × 47.45mm, with the tonneau form shaped for wrist ergonomics rather than aesthetic convention.

From a collector standpoint, the RM001 occupies a singular position. Production numbers were extremely limited across all variants — red gold, white gold, and titanium — and the reference established every design and engineering principle the brand has since elaborated upon. It is the founding text. Examples in red gold, which Jay-Z is seen wearing, are the most sought after and the least frequently traded.

Jay-Z's relationship with Richard Mille has deepened considerably in the two decades since this photograph. He later became one of the brand's most visible ambassadors, collaborating on dedicated references. But this 2002 sighting pre-dates all of that, showing the connection as purely personal and prescient.

On the secondary market, red gold RM001 examples when they surface — which is rarely — command prices well into six figures. The reference has appreciated dramatically from its original retail positioning and shows no sign of softening given its historical status.