Watch Paparazzi

Athlete Wayde Van Niekerk spotted wearing Richard Mille

Wayde Van Niekerk, the South African sprinter who shattered Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was photographed wearing the Richard Mille RM67-02 'Sprint' — a watch built specifically around his athletic identity and one of the most purpose-engineered pieces in the Geneva manufacturer's catalogue.

The Richard Mille RM67-02 is built on the brand's ultra-thin automatic calibre CRMA7, a skeletonised movement measuring just 3.6mm in height and beating at 4Hz. The complete watch clocks in at 7.75mm thick — extraordinarily slim for a Richard Mille — and tips the scales at approximately 32 grams including the strap. The case employs grade 5 titanium paired with Carbon TPT, Richard Mille's proprietary layered carbon composite formed from hundreds of parallel filaments under high pressure, delivering exceptional rigidity at minimal mass. The result is a watch theoretically capable of being worn during a sprint race without compromising an athlete's biomechanics.

The RM67-02 family was introduced as an evolution of the RM67-01, itself the brand's first serious foray into ultra-thin automatic territory. Where the -01 was a dress-oriented proposition, the -02 'Sprint' shifts firmly into the sports ambassador arena, with van Niekerk's edition featuring colour accents referencing his competitive colours. Within Richard Mille's broader catalogue, the RM67-02 occupies a genuinely interesting space — it proves the manufacture can pursue classical thinness while retaining the technical complexity that defines the brand's reputation among collectors.

For van Niekerk, this is not a typical celebrity endorsement accessory. The South African holds the 400m world record at 43.03 seconds, a performance widely regarded as one of the greatest in track and field history. Richard Mille has built its entire ambassador strategy around elite athletic performance, and van Niekerk sits among names like Rafael Nadal and Bubba Watson as athletes who helped shape specific references rather than simply wear them.

On the grey market, the Richard Mille RM67-02 commands substantial premiums over its already significant list price, consistent with Richard Mille's broader secondary market dynamic where demand reliably outpaces supply. With a UK list price of approximately £92,000, USD retail equivalents sit in the $115,000–$120,000 range, while grey market transactions have historically tracked considerably higher.