Baseball player Marcus Stroman spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Marcus Stroman, starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, surfaced on social media recently wearing a Richard Mille RM029 Automatic in grade 5 titanium — a watch that rewards closer inspection well beyond its instantly recognisable tonneau silhouette.

The RM029 was introduced as Richard Mille's definitive entry into automatic winding, and the calibre at its heart reflects that ambition. The skeletonised movement delivers hours, minutes, running seconds, and an oversized date — practical complications executed without compromise. The standout technical feature is the variable-geometry rotor: a winding mass whose geometry can be physically reconfigured to alter oscillating weight and, consequently, winding efficiency. For an athlete whose wrist motion varies dramatically between game days and rest days, that functionality is more than academic. The tonneau-shaped case is held together by 12 grade 5 titanium spline screws, the same fastener geometry used in aerospace assemblies where vibration resistance matters.

Grade 5 titanium — Ti-6Al-4V — is the material of choice across the RM029 because it combines tensile strength close to steel with roughly half the density, and it wears exceptionally well against sweat and impact. Richard Mille engineered the case architecture to distribute stress across the spline-screw ring rather than relying on a traditional bezel-and-caseback sandwich, a construction philosophy borrowed directly from Formula 1 composite engineering.

Among collectors, the RM029 occupies a specific and respected position: it is the house's core automatic reference, legible enough to justify daily wear yet technically dense enough to satisfy serious enthusiasts. It lacks the limited-edition cachet of tourbillon references but carries the full Richard Mille engineering DNA, which keeps demand consistently strong.

Stroman has made no secret of his affinity for high-end timepieces, and the RM029 in titanium is a coherent choice — understated by Richard Mille standards, technically serious, and durable enough for a professional athlete's schedule. At a retail price of $102,250, the piece already commands attention; on the grey market it is currently trading closer to $195,000, a premium that reflects both the brand's constrained supply and the RM029's enduring relevance in the secondary market.