Watch Paparazzi

Musician DJ Khaled spotted wearing Richard Mille

DJ Khaled has been spotted on the wrist wearing one of Richard Mille's most technically ambitious creations: the RM 35-03 Automatic in White Quartz TPT, the Rafael Nadal collaboration piece featuring the brand's signature butterfly rotor. The sighting confirms Khaled's position among the small circle of collectors who operate at the absolute apex of the Richard Mille catalog.

The RM 35-03 represents a significant evolution in the Rafael Nadal lineage, which began with the RM 027 in 2008 when Richard Mille set out to build a watch Nadal could actually wear during Grand Slam matches. Where earlier Nadal references used manual-winding calibers to minimize weight, the RM 35-03 integrates an automatic winding system via a butterfly-shaped bidirectional rotor — a micro-engineering feat that harvests energy from wrist motion without the bulk of a conventional oscillating weight. The movement, caliber RMAL1, delivers approximately 55 hours of power reserve and runs at 28,800 vph. The entire assembly is suspended within the case using a multilayer baseplate construction designed to absorb shock and vibration.

The White Quartz TPT case is among the most labor-intensive materials Richard Mille produces. TPT — Thin Ply Technology — involves layering silica fibers at 45-degree angles under high pressure and temperature, then infusing them with white quartz pigment resin. Each case emerges with a unique striated pattern, meaning no two RM 35-03 examples are visually identical. The material is exceptionally rigid, extremely light, and completely non-magnetic.

For collectors, the RM 35-03 White Quartz TPT occupies rarefied territory. Production numbers are tightly controlled, and the Nadal association gives the reference genuine sporting provenance rather than mere marketing gloss. The butterfly rotor variant adds further desirability over standard configurations, making acquisition at anywhere near retail a matter of relationships, not simply budget.

DJ Khaled has built one of hip-hop's most documented watch collections, with Richard Mille pieces appearing regularly across his social platforms. Choosing the RM 35-03 White Quartz TPT signals a collector's eye rather than casual luxury spending — this is a reference bought for its mechanical story as much as its visual impact. At current grey-market valuations approaching $700,000, Khaled's wrist is carrying considerably more than its retail sticker suggests.