Watch Paparazzi

Royal Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani spotted wearing Richard Mille

Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, a senior member of Qatar's ruling Al Thani dynasty and the brother of the well-known watch collector Sheikh Khalid Al Thani, was recently spotted wearing one of the most singular pieces in the Richard Mille catalogue — the RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo. Given the royal family's well-documented passion for high horology, the sighting is entirely expected, yet the specific reference remains a genuine talking point even among seasoned collectors.

The Richard Mille RM 68-01 was unveiled as a collaboration between the Le Locle-based manufacture and Cyril Kongo, the French artist born Christophe Grémy, whose explosive chromatic graffiti work had already appeared on canvases and walls from Paris to New York. Richard Mille's proposition was radical: rather than printing or engraving a standardized motif, Kongo physically painted each of the 30 white gold cases and dials by hand, in his studio, before the watches were assembled. The result is that every RM 68-01 is categorically unique — a numbered edition of 30 that is simultaneously a series and 30 individual artworks.

Mechanically, the RM 68-01 is no less serious. The watch houses a hand-wound tourbillon movement, caliber RM68-01, beating at 21,600 vph with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. The baseplate and bridges are crafted in grade 5 titanium, keeping the movement light while maximizing structural integrity. The tonneau-shaped white gold case measures 50.15 mm × 42.70 mm × 16.15 mm — emphatically Richard Mille in proportion, designed to wear large and make a statement.

For collectors, the RM 68-01 Tourbillon Cyril Kongo occupies a specific and defensible niche: it merges the credentialed tourbillon complications that form the backbone of Richard Mille's horological identity with the verified fine-art provenance of Kongo's hand. With only 30 examples in existence, each traceable and each visually distinct, the piece is effectively uncategorizable alongside standard limited editions. Provenance documentation and Kongo's direct involvement give it a dual market — serious watch collectors and contemporary art buyers.

Sheikh Joaan's choice reflects the broader Al Thani family appetite for pieces that operate beyond conventional collecting categories. At a UK list price of £537,000 — translating to roughly $680,000 at prevailing rates — the RM 68-01 was never positioned as an accessible proposition. On the secondary market, where scarcity and art-crossover cachet compound, examples trade at a meaningful premium when they surface at all, which is rarely.