Watch Paparazzi

Royal Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani spotted wearing Richard Mille

Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, younger brother of the Emir of Qatar and one of the most recognisable royal figures in global sport and luxury, was recently photographed wearing one of the rarest wristwatches in existence — the Richard Mille RM50-02 'Airbus Corporate Jet' in NTPT Carbon. With a UK list price reported at £1 million and a production run capped at precisely five pieces, this is not a watch that surfaces on the wrist of just anyone.

The RM50-02 was developed as a direct collaboration between Richard Mille and Airbus Corporate Jets, translating aerospace engineering philosophy directly into horology. The case is constructed from North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) carbon — the same composite material used in high-performance aircraft panels — produced by layering carbon filaments at varying angles under heat and pressure, yielding a uniquely marbled surface pattern that is unrepeatable across any two cases. At its technical core sits a manual-winding split-seconds tourbillon chronograph movement, the calibre RMAC2, featuring a variable-geometry rotor, a torque-controlled crown, and a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. The baseplate and bridges are machined from grade 5 titanium, keeping the total case weight to a minimum despite the mechanical complexity within.

For collectors, the RM50-02 occupies a category of its own. Richard Mille has produced several ultra-limited Airbus-collaboration references, but the RM50-02 NTPT at five pieces sits alongside the RM56-02 Sapphire and the RM50-03 McLaren F1 as one of the brand's most coveted and inaccessible references. The combination of a genuine co-engineering narrative, a legitimate aviation material story, and a tourbillon-chronograph complication at this production volume makes it essentially uncollectable through conventional means.

Sheikh Joaan is no casual watch wearer. A prominent presence in international equestrianism and sport governance, he has been photographed with a range of serious horological pieces over the years. Wearing the RM50-02 publicly places him in an extraordinarily small group — conceivably every owner on the planet could be counted on one hand.

On the open market, the RM50-02 NTPT almost never trades publicly. When equivalent ultra-limited Richard Mille split-seconds tourbillon references do appear at auction, results regularly exceed the original retail price by a significant margin. Any grey-market valuation is speculative, but informed estimates place a transaction, were one to occur privately, well above the already extraordinary list price.