Richard Mille - Racing Pulse New York Saturday, December 12, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Richard Mille
    Year: Circa 2013
    Reference No: RM 59-01 AN CA
    Case No: No. 11/50
    Model Name: Yohan Blake, "Beast"
    Material: Translucent composite composed of injected carbon nanotubes
    Calibre: Mechanical, RM59-01, 19 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Green Richard Mille rubber strap
    Clasp/Buckle: Titanium Richard Mille double deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 42mm width
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Richard Mille presentation box with outer packaging, and handwritten note from Sylvester Stallone.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Richard Mille released his first model, the RM001 in 2001, and thus began an independent brand known for visionary and avante-garde designs with an aesthetic never seen before in the history of watchmaking. Since their beginning, Mille has pushed the limits of horology making some of the most technical watches of the 21st century. His cutting edge designs are immediately recognizable, and are sophisticated, practical, and comfortable on the wrist. The movements are manufactured to be worn in extreme conditions using revolutionary materials. With this in mind, Mille has partnered with brand ambassadors from the sports world who with their own excellence, represent the premier quality of the watches. Accordingly, Richard Mille created the Yohan Blake “Beast” for the Olympic sprinter known for his record-breaking sprinting performances. Born in 1989, Blake was the youngest 100 meter world champion ever, an achievement he won at the age of 21 in 2011.

    The RM 59-01 impresses immediately, and is one of the most iconic watches ever made by Richard Mille. The watch is lightweight and was designed for Yohan Blake, the second fastest man in history and one of the leading athletes of our time. The bridges spanning the movement are designed to evoke the claws of 'The Beast', Yohan Blake's nickname, and embodies the colours of his Jamaican homeland. The dynamic bridges are made from anticorodal aluminum and support the tourbillon cage, consolidating the grade 5 titanium baseplate. As with all Mille timepieces, the RM59-01 is designed to be worn under extreme circumstances, in this case 100m competitive sprinting.
    The Jamaican sprinter wore a special Mille tourbillon timepiece for the 100m finals during the London 2012 Olympics, where he was awarded a Silver Medal behind his compatriot, Usain Bolt. Amazingly, Blake became the only runner to have the fastest non-winning time (had Bolt not run, Blake’s time would have been a world record), when he again came in second place to Bolt in the finals of the 200M, with a time of 19.44 seconds.

    Produced in a limited number of just 50 examples, this is a rare opportunity to own and wear an extremely rare and charismatic Richard Mille tourbillon wristwatch. Phillips is proud to offer the present lot, worn and enjoyed by Sylvester Stallone and consigned directly by him. Certifying its superb provenance, the watch is further accompanied by a letter personally handwritten and signed by Mr. Stallone on his private stationary describing the watch.

    Consigned by the Original Owner

  • Artist Biography

    Richard Mille

    Swiss • 1999

    Established in 1999, Richard Mille's ultra-modern timepieces combine cutting-edge materials from high performance worlds such as Formula 1 racecars with high-end traditional watchmaking. The brand's revolutionary designs, technical breakthroughs and exceptional hand-finishing excite even the most discriminating collectors, and have positioned Richard Mille alongside the top makers of the modern luxury watch world.

    Innovative watches, such as the RM 027 Tourbillon, which was the world’s lightest mechanical watch when introduced in 2011, have helped the brand invert the concept of the luxury watch. Key models include the RM 009 Tourbillon cased in Aluminum Silicon Carbide (AlSiC), the RM 027-02 Tourbillon made for tennis star Rafael Nadal with a case made from quartz and carbon fiber and the RM 008 split seconds chronograph.

    View More Works

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Ref. RM 59-01 AN CA
A rare and attractive limited edition translucent skeletonized tourbillon tonneau-shaped wristwatch with presentation box, numbered 11 of 50, accompanied by a hand-written note from Sylvester Stallone

Circa 2013
42mm width
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
$300,000 - 600,000 
CHF270,000-540,000
€253,000-505,000
HK$2,330,000-4,650,000

Sold for $816,500

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas & International Strategy Advisor
Senior Vice President
+1 212 940 1293
pboutros@phillips.com

Racing Pulse

New York Auction 12 December 2020