Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Joe Hart spotted wearing Richard Mille

When Joe Hart arrived to complete his medical ahead of signing for Tottenham Hotspur, the England international and Premier League goalkeeper wasn't flying under the radar — at least not on the wrist. Sharp-eyed observers clocked a Black Ceramic Richard Mille RM55 'Bubba Watson' sitting beneath his sleeve, a watch that retails in the region of £120,000 and commands immediate attention in any room.

The Richard Mille RM55 'Bubba Watson' was developed in close collaboration with the two-time Masters champion golfer, designed to withstand the rotational forces of a full golf swing — forces that can exceed 6,000 Gs at impact. The movement is a hand-wound tourbillon calibre, the RM55 Cal., built with a grade 5 titanium and LITAL alloy baseplate and bridges. The case itself combines grade 5 titanium with a black NTPT Carbon or ceramic shell depending on the variant. The result is a watch that weighs approximately 18 grams complete, making it one of the lightest mechanical tourbillon wristwatches ever produced. The skeletonized dial exposes the full architecture of the movement, framed by that distinctive tonneau-shaped case with a crown positioned at 9 o'clock.

From a collector standpoint, the RM55 occupies a specific lane within the Richard Mille catalogue. It is a genuine complications piece with a legitimate sporting genesis — not simply an aesthetic exercise. The Bubba Watson editions carry strong secondary market demand, particularly the black ceramic references, which benefit from the added visual drama of the dark case material against the exposed titanium movement. Supply remains tightly controlled, as is standard practice for Richard Mille.

Hart has long been associated with high-end horology, and choosing the RM55 for a moment as high-profile as a Premier League medical signing speaks to a collector sensibility rather than simple brand allegiance. For a goalkeeper — an athlete whose wrists and hands absorb enormous physical stress — there is also a certain logic to choosing one of the most mechanically resilient luxury sport watches on the market.

On the grey market, black ceramic RM55 'Bubba Watson' references trade well above retail, typically ranging from $180,000 to $220,000 USD depending on condition and provenance. With Richard Mille's authorised distribution remaining highly selective, that premium shows no sign of softening.