Watch Paparazzi

Athlete Julija Levčenko spotted wearing Richard Mille

Ukrainian high-jump world-class athlete Julija Levčenko was photographed wearing a Richard Mille RM 07-01 in Carbon TPT while in full competition form, clearing the bar at two metres. The image is one of those rare watch sightings where the timepiece and its wearer are in perfect contextual alignment.

Richard Mille introduced the RM 07-01 as one of the brand's first watches designed specifically for women, a significant step for a manufacture whose DNA had been shaped almost exclusively around motorsport and male athletes. The case follows the familiar tonneau architecture of the RM line but is scaled and proportioned for a slimmer wrist, housing a calibre CRMA2 — a manual-winding movement built on a skeletonised baseplate of grade 5 titanium and ARCAP alloy, offering a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. Water resistance sits at 50 metres, and the case measures 45.13 mm × 31.41 mm × 11.07 mm.

The Carbon TPT variant elevates the RM 07-01 into a separate collector conversation. Carbon TPT — Richard Mille's proprietary filament-wound carbon composite, processed at precise angular tolerances — gives each case a unique visual texture that cannot be exactly replicated, making every reference effectively a one-of-one in appearance. The bracelet in Carbon TPT is the real talking point: at just 29 grams total, it required more than 13 months of engineering development before Richard Mille was satisfied with its structural integrity and comfort. That development timeline, for a bracelet, underlines the seriousness of the exercise.

Levčenko, who has represented Ukraine at the highest international level and held a World Indoor Championship silver medal, is the kind of athlete Richard Mille courts deliberately — technically elite, visually arresting, and operating under extreme physical conditions. Wearing the RM 07-01 at competition height rather than on a red carpet reframes the watch as genuine sports equipment rather than jewellery with a movement inside.

On the secondary market, the Richard Mille RM 07-01 in Carbon TPT commands significant premiums over retail, consistent with most Carbon TPT references across the catalogue. Retail positioning places it firmly in the upper tier of the ladies' complications segment, where it competes on engineering credibility rather than gem-set spectacle.