A betrayal, an alleged case of international espionage, and a $2.7 million Richard Mille watch. If someone had told this story a few months ago, we probably would have mistaken it for the plot of a movie. Instead, the protagonist is Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, the man who helped transform artificial intelligence into one of the most significant economic phenomena of our time.
In recent hours, Huang has publicly admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, while NVIDIA has announced an independent investigation into allegations of a foreign espionage attempt. The story immediately caught the attention of the international press, thrusting the executive’s private life into the spotlight.
But we also want to tell you another story. It’s the story of a man who claimed he didn’t need a watch and who, in 2025, was photographed wearing a Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, one of the most exclusive timepieces in the world.
The best part? When asked to explain, Huang joked that it might be a fake watch.
Jensen Huang and the affair Involving NVIDIA
On November 8, 2026, Jensen Huang publicly admitted to having been unfaithful to his wife Lori, whom he met during his college years and who has been by his side for decades.
In a message to NVIDIA employees, the executive took responsibility for his actions, apologized to his family, and acknowledged that he had betrayed the trust of those close to him.
According to reports published in the American press, Huang allegedly had a relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company and NVIDIA client. The woman, who is not related to the CEO, is suspected by U.S. authorities of having acted on behalf of Chinese intelligence.
The allegations come amid a particularly sensitive geopolitical landscape, marked by U.S. restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductors to China.
NVIDIA’s board of directors has announced the launch of an independent investigation to determine whether its CEO may have been the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The company stated that, at this time, it has no reason to believe that its trade secrets or U.S. national security have been compromised.
The allegations of espionage therefore remain under investigation, while the admission of infidelity came directly from the manager. This is a decidedly unusual situation for Huang, who in recent years has become one of the most recognizable faces in the global technology industry.
And it is precisely his public image that brings us to a detail that watch enthusiasts will remember very well.
Jensen Huang and watches: “I don’t need one”
A black leather jacket, minimalist attire, and always, no watch on his wrist.
Jensen Huang’s image has become as recognizable as that of Steve Jobs in his famous black turtleneck. But behind the absence of a watch lay a deliberate choice.
In 2023, during an event hosted by the Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association, the founder of NVIDIA said he didn’t usually wear a watch because he preferred to focus on the present rather than constantly worrying about the passing of time.
A philosophy that, at least in theory, seemed to prioritize the quality of the moment over the need to measure it.
Then, in May 2025, something caught the photographers’ attention.
During a visit to Taiwan for Computex, Huang was photographed wearing a decidedly unusual watch on his wrist: a Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, of which only 80 were produced and which is valued on the secondary market at around $2.7 million.
A surprise, especially considering how strongly the CEO had always adhered to his philosophy of living without a watch.
But the story doesn’t end there.
“Maybe it was a fake watch”: Huang’s response
On May 20, 2025, during a public appearance at Computex with Young Liu, president of Foxconn, Huang was asked specifically about the photographs showing him wearing the expensive Richard Mille watch.
His response, as reported by the Taiwanese press, was anything but conventional. The manager joked that he didn’t wear watches, called the report false, and ironically suggested that the one captured by the photographers might be a fake.
It’s a way to deflect curiosity without compromising the image of an entrepreneur who prefers to live in the moment rather than constantly checking the time. Yet the watch visible in the photographs belongs to one of Richard Mille’s most technically ambitious collections.
Richard Mille RM 27-05
Unveiled in 2024, the Richard Mille RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal marks the culmination of a journey that began in 2010, when the Swiss watchmaker decided to develop a mechanical tourbillon that Rafael Nadal could wear even during competitions.
The goal was seemingly contradictory: to create an extremely lightweight watch without compromising its durability.
The result, fourteen years later, is a timepiece that weighs just 11.5 grams, excluding the strap, while housing a hand-wound mechanical movement with a flying tourbillon.
To understand just how extraordinary this figure is, consider that the entire movement weighs only 3.79 grams.
The case measures 37.25 × 47.25 mm, is just 7.20 mm thick, and is made of Carbon TPT B.4, a composite material developed through five years of research in collaboration with North Thin Ply Technology.
Compared to traditional Carbon TPT, this version features stiffer fibers and a more durable resin, allowing for a further reduction in component thickness without sacrificing strength. Inside, it houses the RM27-05 movement, which is just 2.12 mm thick, with a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and a power reserve of approximately 55 hours.
Particularly interesting is the movement’s construction, which rests directly on the case’s monobloc caseback, without the traditional mounting screws. The flying tourbillon, which lacks an upper bridge, further contributes to weight reduction.
Jensen Huang, the Richard Mille, and the Time That Won’t Come Back
Jensen Huang has helped transform NVIDIA into one of the icons of the contemporary technological revolution. He has built a billion-dollar fortune, earned a place among the world’s most influential entrepreneurs, and even turned a simple leather jacket into a recognizable part of his public image.
And yet, for years, he claimed he didn’t need a watch. Then came that million-dollar Richard Mille, accompanied by a joke about its supposed authenticity. And now, some time later, a scandal has thrust his private life into the international spotlight.
Of course, the watch photographed in 2025 has no documented connection to the events of recent days. But the contrast between the two incidents is hard to ignore.
Because NVIDIA’s CEO can afford a $2.7 million tourbillon, designed to withstand extreme stress and weigh less than a handful of coins, but not even the most sophisticated watch in the world can turn back the clock on our choices.
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