Jay-Z's Richard Mille Watch Collection
I have already written extensively about Jay-Z’s Patek Philippe Collection, including his Tiffany Dial Nautilus 5711. Well, in addition to a stellar Patek Philippe collection, Jay-Z has an otherworldly Richard Mille Collection. While the watch market has been hot these past few years, the market for Richard Mille watches has been even hotter. These ultra-expensive and extremely exclusive watches have soared in price, sometimes by millions of dollars. But not everyone is a fan. The watch collector’s community is split about whether they love or hate Richard Milles. Even Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy, offered his opinions on Richard Milles. Diddy recently said “I’m not a hater, I’m a connoisseur of fly shit and I’m just telling y’all, y’all getting tricked by the Richard Mille. The Richard Mille is like a Timex or some shit like that. Y’all, it’s not hot. It’s not hot. It’s not hot! I have, like, two or three. I never pull them out. They ugly. I don’t even wanna hate. I don’t even know Richard Mille but fuck it. I’m on some Black shit. Black men, save your money and go buy a house.”
Well, Jay-Z clearly thinks differently, as he has been spotted wearing many different Richard Milles over the years. Whether you love them or you hate them, owning one is seen as a major flex, and the complications and movements are top notch.
Jay-Z’s Richard Mile RM011 Felipe Massa in Rose Gold
Sean Carter has been spotted in multiple different Richard Mille pieces, including a Richard Mille RM011 Rose Gold Felipe Massa. Named after Brazilian Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa, the watch boasts plenty of complications, including a flyback chronograph, a 60-minute countdown timer, and an annual calendar. While the watch retailed for around $130,000 USD it is currently selling on the secondary market for over $300,000 USD.
Jay-Z’s Richard Mille RM027 “Rafael Nadal”
Jay-Z has been rocking a Richard Mille as far back as 2011 (indeed Richard Mille is a relatively young brand, having been founded in 1999). So what piece was he wearing more than a decade ago? The Richard Mille RM027 “Rafael Nadal” of course. Nadal has been a Richard Mille ambassador since 2010 and even worked with Richard Mille himself to design a watch that was both incredibly light and had shock observers that would allow it to withstand the rigors of the tennis court. The result of their efforts was the RM027 which has received multiple updates over the years. Jay-Z owns one of the 50 limited edition original RM027s produced. This tourbillon weights less than 20g (including the strap), which makes it one of the lightest watches ever produced and his powered by one of the lightest mechanical tourbillons (at 3.83 grams). When it was introduced in 2010, the Richard Mille RM027 had a retail price of $525,000 USD. It will now cost you around $1,500,00 USD on the secondary market.
Jay-Z’s Richard Mille RM027-01 “Rafael Nadal”
Jay-Z has more than one RM-027. He was spotted in 2019 wearing the Richard Mille RM027-01 “Rafael Nadal.” The watch case on this incredible piece is made from white carbon nanotubes. Apparently, carbon nanotubes are some of the strongest and stiffest materials yet discovered in terms of tensile strength and elasticity (which makes sense for a watch meant to withstand the rigors of a sport like tennis). Additionally, the RM027-01 weighs just 19g (including the strap) and is a limited edition of just 5 pieces. We also know that 1 of the other 4 pieces belongs to singer Post Malone. The RM027-01 retailed for $800,000 USD. A market price is hard time come by for this watch since so few were made.
Jay-Z’s Richard Mille RM035 Black Toro Americas
Another of Jay-Z’s very unique Richard Mille timepieces is his RM035 Black Toro Americas. This watch is named the Toro after the “Tennis Bull” Rafael Nadal (Nadal and Richard Mille’s decade-long collaboration is quite extensive). The case of this piece is made of black TZP, a ceramic that is blasted for matte effect. This Richard Mille RM-35 Toro Americas is limited to just 50 pieces and retailed for $169,500 USD. It is currently selling on the secondary market for around $600,000 USD.
Jay-Z’s Richard Mille RM056 Blue Sapphire
Jay-Z has been seen wearing some even crazier (and rarer) Richard Mille pieces in the last few years. Back in 2019, he was spotted wearing the Richard Mille RM056 in blue sapphire. Jay-Z had this piece unique commissioned in blue sapphire to commemorate Jay-Z’s classic album, The Blueprint. Jay-Z’s custom Richard Mille RM056 cost $2.5 million and took 3,000 hours to make, according to Alex Todd, the watch and jewelry customizer.
Jay-Z’s Richard MIlle RM56-01 Tourbillon Green Sapphire
In 2021 Jay-Z was been seen wearing another sapphire Richard Mille piece (also an RM56). One such piece was one that he was photographed wearing at a July 4, 2021 party hosted by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin. The piece Jay was seen wearing was a Richard Mille RM56-01 Tourbillon with a green sapphire case. Apparently Jay-Z’s watch was custom, made specially for him, and of course one of kind (the clear sapphire version was limited to just 5 piece). Watch customizer Alex Todd (who also customized Jay-Z’s sapphire blue RM56) told Complex the retail price is around $3,000,000 USD.