Pilot Aurora Straus spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Aurora Straus, one of the youngest professional racecar drivers currently competing in North America, was photographed wearing a Richard Mille RM 07-01 Ladies in full diamond pavé, completed with the brand's open-link bracelet — a sighting that surfaced via Richard Mille's official channels and Haute Time. At 21, Straus brings a matter-of-fact physicality to a watch that most would treat as a vault piece.

The Richard Mille RM 07-01 was introduced as the manufacture's primary ladies' reference, built around a tonneau-shaped case measuring 45.13 × 31.35 mm — generous dimensions that read as a bold statement on the wrist rather than a concession to femininity. The movement inside is the calibre CRMA2, an automatic manufacture movement featuring a variable-geometry rotor, a free-sprung balance with overcoil Breguet hairspring, and a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. The skeletonized architecture is fully visible through the sapphire crystal, consistent with Richard Mille's philosophy of treating the movement as aesthetic object. In the fully diamond-set variant, every external surface of the case and crown is hand-pavéd with brilliant-cut diamonds — a process that can involve hundreds of hours of gem-setting work by specialized artisans.

Among collectors, the RM 07-01 in full pavé occupies a specific and well-defined niche: it is simultaneously a high-complication sports watch and one of haute joaillerie's more technically credible offerings. The open-link bracelet version adds further desirability, as the bracelet itself requires significant hand-finishing and is produced in limited quantities. Richard Mille deliberately controls supply on high-jewellery configurations, meaning waitlists at authorized dealers are effectively meaningless — acquisition is almost entirely relationship-driven.

Straus, who competes in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge among other series, has a growing public profile that aligns comfortably with Richard Mille's motorsport identity — the brand sponsors Formula 1, Le Mans, and a roster of elite athletes. Wearing the RM 07-01 rather than one of the more overtly racing-coded references reads as a personal choice, not a sponsorship obligation.

At retail, a fully diamond-set Richard Mille RM 07-01 with open-link bracelet carries a list price in the range of $300,000 USD, though grey-market pricing on pieces in this configuration can move considerably higher depending on stone quality documentation and provenance.