Footballer Oscar spotted wearing a Richard Mille

Brazilian footballer Oscar was photographed on the wrist with a Richard Mille RM26-01 'Panda' Tourbillon — one of only 30 examples ever made — while playing for Shanghai SIPG, the Chinese Super League club where he relocated in a reported €60 million transfer in 2017. The sighting underscores how elite footballers, particularly those who have moved to lucrative Asian leagues, have become some of the most conspicuous consumers of ultra-high-end independent watchmaking.

The Richard Mille RM26-01 is built around a manually wound tourbillon calibre, the RM26-01, featuring a baseplate and bridges constructed from grade 5 titanium, chosen for its rigidity-to-weight ratio. The case itself combines titanium and red gold in Richard Mille's characteristic tonneau form, offering around 42 hours of power reserve. What sets the RM26-01 apart from Richard Mille's broader catalogue is its miniature three-dimensional panda sculpture, hand-painted and seated within the dial architecture — a decorative element that required extraordinary micro-sculpting skill and pushed production timelines considerably, contributing directly to the 30-piece ceiling.

From a collector standpoint, the RM26-01 'Panda' occupies rare territory even within Richard Mille's own ecosystem, a brand that rarely produces simple pieces. Limited-edition Richard Milles with figurative complications — the RM26-01 sits in the same conversation as the RM52 series skull and spider models — command fierce secondary-market premiums and almost never surface at auction in unworn condition. The combination of a functioning tourbillon and a sculptural panda mascot in a single 30-piece run makes this reference genuinely irreplaceable.

Oscar, full name Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and is widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted midfielders of his generation. His move to Shanghai SIPG was one of the highest-profile transfers in Chinese football history, and the financial terms afforded him purchasing power that reaches comfortably into the ultra-luxury watch segment. He has been photographed with Richard Mille pieces on multiple occasions.

The Richard Mille RM26-01 'Panda' Tourbillon carried a UK list price of approximately £750,000 at release. On the grey market, examples — when they appear at all — trade at significant premiums above retail, reflecting both the 30-piece production limit and sustained demand for tourbillon-equipped Richard Mille limited editions among Asian and Middle Eastern collectors.