Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Roberto Mancini spotted wearing Richard Mille

Roberto Mancini, at the time leading Inter Milan through one of the club's most scrutinized rebuilding phases, was photographed wearing the Richard Mille RM35-01 — a watch that quietly signals insider taste rather than sheer spending power, even at its considerable price point. The sighting aligns with Mancini's well-documented affinity for high-end, design-forward objects.

The Richard Mille RM35-01 was introduced as an evolution of the Rafael Nadal collaboration lineage, refining the architecture first explored in the RM027. Its Carbon TPT case — produced by layering carbon filaments at alternating 45-degree angles under extreme pressure — delivers exceptional rigidity relative to its mass. The manual-winding caliber RMAL1 inside features a tourbillon regulator, a free-sprung balance wheel with variable inertia, and a torque-limiting crown system that prevents overwinding. Total case weight sits at approximately 33 grams. Water resistance is rated to 50 meters, notable given the skeletonized construction.

Among collectors, the RM35-01 occupies a specific and well-respected tier within the Richard Mille catalog. It is not the most complex or expensive reference the brand produces, but it is widely regarded as one of the most coherent expressions of the marque's philosophy — a genuine tourbillon in a case built using aerospace-grade materials, worn by an active athlete during match play. Nadal's documented use of the watch during actual Grand Slam matches gave the reference a credibility that advertising rarely achieves. That sporting provenance adds collector appeal beyond the technical specifications alone.

Mancini's choice of the RM35-01 is consistent with the profile of the watch's broader fanbase: high-performance environments, design literacy, and comfort with conspicuous but justifiable expenditure. As a football manager operating at the highest club level — and later as Italy's national team coach — Mancini has cultivated an image that pairs tactical discipline with genuine aesthetic intelligence.

The Richard Mille RM35-01 carried an official retail price in the region of £85,000 in the UK market. On the secondary and grey market, demand for Carbon TPT-cased Richard Mille tourbillon references has remained consistently strong, with the RM35-01 frequently trading at or above retail depending on condition, papers, and variant. It remains one of the more attainable entry points into Richard Mille's tourbillon segment, which only reinforces its enduring appeal.