Footballer Neymar Jr spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Neymar Jr has never been a subtle watch wearer, and this sighting delivers accordingly. The Brazilian forward was photographed wearing what is identified as a Richard Mille RM 52-01 Skull Tourbillon in black ceramic and red gold — one of the most visually confrontational complications the Swiss-Caribbean brand has ever produced, and a piece that commands serious attention in collector circles well beyond the football world.

The Richard Mille RM 52-01 is built around a manually wound tourbillon movement, the calibre RM52-01, beating at 21,600 vph with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The baseplate and bridges are machined from grade 5 titanium, and the skull motif that dominates the dial is not applied decoration — it is the movement architecture itself, hand-carved and finished to represent a human skull in three dimensions. The combination of black ceramic case and red gold inserts gives the reference a particularly aggressive contrast, with the ceramic providing scratch resistance while the red gold brings warmth to the otherwise austere palette.

From a collector standpoint, the RM 52-01 occupies a specific and uncompromising niche. Richard Mille produces it in extremely limited numbers, and secondary market liquidity is accordingly tight. The piece appeals to collectors who want horological credibility — a genuine flying tourbillon with haute horology finishing standards — packaged inside an object that makes no concessions to conservative taste. It is not a watch for the undecided.

Neymar Jr has held an official Richard Mille ambassadorship since 2012, one of the earliest and most sustained partnerships the brand has built with a global sports figure. The relationship has generated dedicated limited editions bearing his name, and his personal collection reportedly spans multiple RM references. Spotting him in the RM 52-01 rather than a signature edition is notable — it reads as a personal choice rather than a contractual appearance.

At a UK RRP in the region of £362,000, the Richard Mille RM 52-01 Skull Tourbillon sits at the upper tier even within the brand's own catalog. On the grey market, verified examples in ceramic and red gold have traded above retail, reflecting constrained supply and sustained demand from collectors in Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Buyers should verify provenance carefully, as demand at this price point attracts sophisticated fakes.