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Footballer Virgil Van Dijk spotted wearing Richard Mille

Virgil Van Dijk, the Liverpool FC and Netherlands national team center-back who lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2019, was recently spotted wearing one of the more elusive pieces in the Richard Mille catalog: the RM11 'Black Phantom,' a limited edition restricted to just 50 examples worldwide.

The Richard Mille RM11 is built around the RMAC2 automatic caliber — a movement co-developed with Renaud & Papi that integrates a flyback chronograph, annual calendar, and GMT function within a skeletonized architecture. The 'Black Phantom' variant pushes the aesthetic to its logical extreme, housing that movement inside a case constructed from grade 5 titanium and carbon composite, finished entirely in black. The tonneau-shaped case measures approximately 50mm × 40mm, following the signature RM ergonomic geometry that hugs the wrist despite its visual mass. Movement bridges are crafted from grade 5 titanium with black PVD treatment, maintaining visual coherence across dial and case.

The RM11 reference occupies an important position in Richard Mille's collector hierarchy. Introduced in the mid-2000s, the RM11 was among the brand's earliest flyback chronograph references and established RM's credentials as a serious complications manufacturer rather than simply a design house. Limited editions of the RM11 — particularly blacked-out variants with restricted production numbers — consistently attract disproportionate secondary market attention. The 'Black Phantom,' at 50 pieces globally, sits firmly in that category.

Van Dijk has been among the more credible Richard Mille wearers in professional football. Unlike peers who gravitate toward entry-level RM references, the Dutch international has shown a pattern of selecting technically substantive pieces. Wearing a 50-piece limited edition during a public appearance signals genuine engagement with the brand's collector tier rather than mere endorsement optics.

The Richard Mille RM11 'Black Phantom' carried a UK list price in the region of £120,000 at retail — a figure that translates to approximately $150,000 USD at prevailing rates. On the grey market, scarcity and demand for blacked-out limited RM11 variants have pushed prices considerably higher, with comparable examples trading well above retail. For a 50-piece run, availability on the secondary market remains genuinely limited.