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footballerSpotted November 2022

Footballer Mesut Özil spotted wearing a Richard Mille

footballer Mesut Özil spotted wearing a Richard Mille RM55
Who & what: Richard Mille RM55 'Yas Marina Circuit Edition' Turquoise Rubber Strap – Limited to 50 Pieces | Mesut Özil

Mesut Özil made his way through the matchday routine ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Liverpool wearing a watch that had nothing to do with football and everything to do with the Abu Dhabi motorsport world: the Richard Mille RM55 Yas Marina Circuit Edition, one of just 50 pieces ever produced, finished with a vivid turquoise rubber strap that announces itself from across a dressing room.

The RM55 — known in its standard configuration as the 'Bubba Watson' tourbillon — is built around one of Richard Mille's most recognizable skeletonized manual-winding movements, the RMUL2 caliber, a free-sprung balance tourbillon beating at 21,600 vph with approximately 70 hours of power reserve. The tonneau-shaped case is constructed in a composite of Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, materials developed from aerospace and sailing technology that deliver extraordinary rigidity at minimal weight — the entire watch sits on the wrist at well under 40 grams. The Yas Marina Circuit Edition takes this architecture and layers on circuit-specific design cues: turquoise accents, dedicated dial typography, and that immediately recognizable strap colorway drawn from the Gulf circuit's branding palette.

With a production run of exactly 50 pieces, the RM55 Yas Marina sits at the sharper end of Richard Mille's already exclusivity-obsessed limited edition strategy. Collectors targeting Abu Dhabi-associated Richard Mille references have historically seen strong retention and appreciation, and a tourbillon variant at this production ceiling rarely softens on the secondary market. The combination of the RMUL2 movement, TPT case materials, and a documented 50-unit ceiling gives this reference a legitimate collector pedigree beyond its visual drama.

Özil has long maintained one of the most watched wrists in European football. His affinity for Richard Mille is well documented — the brand's fusion of engineering credibility and visual extravagance maps neatly onto the culture surrounding elite football — and the Yas Marina edition carries personal geographic resonance for a player who spent formative years connected to Middle Eastern football culture and sponsorships.

At a UK list price of £130,000, the RM55 Yas Marina Circuit Edition occupies serious territory even within Richard Mille's catalogue. On the grey market, ultra-limited tourbillon editions from the brand routinely trade at premiums over retail, and the 50-piece ceiling on this reference offers little reason to expect otherwise.

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