Watch Paparazzi

Rapper Huang Zitao spotted wearing Richard Mille

Huang Zitao, the Chinese rapper and actor who built a devoted following after departing the K-pop group EXO in 2015, was recently spotted wearing one of Richard Mille's most visually striking and technically demanding creations: the all-white ceramic Richard Mille RM55 'Bubba Watson'. The sighting is consistent with Zitao's well-documented appetite for ultra-high-end timepieces and designer goods, positioning him firmly among Asia's most watch-literate celebrity consumers.

The Richard Mille RM55 was developed in close collaboration with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, first introduced in 2012 as a tool watch engineered to survive the physical demands of a professional golf swing — forces that can exceed 6,000 g at impact. The case is machined entirely from white nano-ceramic, a zirconium oxide-based compound that registers approximately 1,250 HV on the Vickers hardness scale, far exceeding steel or titanium. At roughly 19.5 grams total, the skeletonized tonneau case houses a manual-winding tourbillon movement, the calibre RM55, featuring a variable inertia balance wheel, a torque-limiting crown and a baseplate constructed from grade 5 titanium. Power reserve sits at approximately 48 hours.

From a collector's standpoint, the RM55 occupies a specific niche within the Richard Mille catalogue. Its all-ceramic execution sets it apart from the more common TPT carbon and titanium variants, and the Bubba Watson co-branding carries genuine narrative weight given Watson's authentic involvement in the watch's ergonomic brief. Limited production numbers — Richard Mille does not officially disclose figures for this reference — sustain secondary market demand, and the white ceramic colorway remains the most recognizable and covetable execution.

Zitao's choice of the RM55 is not surprising. The rapper has previously worn multiple Richard Mille references publicly, and his fanbase in China — one of the largest grey markets for ultra-luxury watches — amplifies the brand exposure considerably. His adoption of pieces like this one contributes meaningfully to Richard Mille's cultural penetration across Chinese entertainment circles.

On the current secondary market, white ceramic Richard Mille RM55 'Bubba Watson' examples trade in the region of £270,000, equivalent to roughly $340,000 USD, reflecting strong sustained demand and the scarcity premium attached to ceramic-cased Richard Mille tourbillons. Official retail pricing, where available through authorized channels, sits near $500,000 USD, making grey-market acquisition the only realistic route for most buyers.