“A master engraver, a master enameler, Richard Mille and Pharrell Williams find themselves in the same room…” It may sound like the beginning of a joke, but if it really happens that wisdom, artistry, talent and creativity come together as in this case, what is born?
Fortunately, it really happened, and so we have the answer: the Richard Mille RM 52-05 Tourbillon Manual Winding Pharrell Williams was born. This is where we want to start to tell you more about the collection of one of the most influential artists of this two decades.
The Origins
The origin of this clock goes far back in time, perhaps even millions of years, when man looked up and stared at the stars, planets, and distant worlds, seeking an explanation for its existence.
If we don’t want to go that far back in time, we can move just a little bit, back to when little Pharrell Williams watched fascinated Star Trek and dreamed of traveling to space, to see Earth from afar.
He has certainly been all over it, the Earth, making the whole world sing and smile in his colorful concerts. It’s not enough for Pharrell, though, who with this watch crowns a lifelong dream: to look at the Earth from Mars.
The Watch
As in a real spaceship, suspended between the ultra-lightweight titanium-aluminum-vanadium decks, we find an astronaut admiring our planet from Mars, reflected in the visor, suspended in the infinity of a starry blue aventurine space.
The balance wheel with variable inertia allows us, via 4 screws, to adjust the oscillations with a precision worthy of NASA standards. To protect this masterpiece, Richard Mille decided to make 8 pieces with a sapphire case and 22 in Cermet, a combination of zirconium and ceramic that can withstand any environment, terrestrial or otherwise.
As with a space probe, ordinary tools do not fit to create this piece. Richard Mille’s craftsmen had to develop special tools to engrave the visor, then enamel it with grand-feu technique and only finally paint it by hand. The engraving took a craftsman about 15 hours, the enameling a whole day.
A Long-lasting Relationship
The relationship between Pharrell Williams and Richard Mille has been very close for several years, probably because of the similar view the two artists have towards the world and style. In the best tradition of Italian Watch Spotter, we have brought you a selection of the rarest and most interesting pieces that have appeared on the singer’s wrist.
RM 031
Nominated for Best Score at the 2017 Golden Globes, Pharrel Williams shows up at the ceremony with a Richard Mille RM 031 High Performance, a very limited edition (10 pieces) from 2012.
Absolutely unobtainable, the price at the time of release was €1,129,500 including VAT.
RM 70-01
Designed for Formula One champion Alain Prost and his passion for cycling, this Richard Mille RM 70-01 is also perfectly at home among the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week. The watch features a mechanical odometer at the top of the dial. Let’s not rule out the possibility that Pharrell may have used it so as not to lose count of the numerous fashion shows he attends.
The lucky 30 who were able to access Richard Mille’s listings faced a price tag of$ 815,500 to take one home. To lighten the price, a Colnago C60 racing bike specially developed by Prost and Mille was given as a gift to all 30 owners.
RM 25-01
As you may remember, in the past we have already happened to spot Pharrell Williams on our Instagram page. We bring you one of our posts in which we can see the American singer in the company of well-known artist Kaws. In the photo, Pharrell Williams is wearing a Richard Mille RM 25-01 “Tourbillon Adventure Sylvester Stallone.” Again, the number is very limited and the price tag indicates a price of €965,630.
RM 011 NTPT Lotus F1 R. Grosejan
Designed for driver Romain Grosejan, this flyback chronograph did not end up on the F1 tracks, but it is still on the wrist of a champion. Designed and manufactured for the F1 champion, this Richard Mille is now on the wrist of Pharrell Williams. Market price of about €245,000.
Other watches
In addition to Richard Mille, Pharrell Williams has indulged in a few other treats in his career. Let’s see some of them together!
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Alacrite
The first Royal Oak in the Concept series could not be missed by Pharrell.
It is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Alacrite, a tourbillon with power reserve, crown function indicator and dynamograph. He was the first to pioneer this collection. Today’s price is around 170.000€.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Carbon
In this photo we see the singer wearing a very special Audemars Piguet on his wrist. It is the Royal Oak Concept Carbon, part of the brand’s most “extreme” and avant-garde line. It is no coincidence that, often, the design of this line is done by the same people who design the most sophisticated Richard Mille.
It is reference 26265FO.OO.D002CR.01, a tourbillon chronograph whose market price today is above 160,000€.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Calendario Perpetuo Scheletrato
Pharrell Williams doesn’t like to pick and choose, so he got them both, two masterpieces from the house of Audemars Piguet, of rare beauty. Both perpetual calendars, one in yellow gold and the other in platinum, both skeletonized, just like this year’s black ceramic one.
We are in the 100,000€ market price range for both, the real difficulty, however, for us would be to choose only one of the two.
Jacob & Co Rainbow Tourbillon Rubini
Unique piece, about which very little information can be found. This particular tourbillon marks 24 time zones and is literally covered with rubies, to such an extent that it is almost impossible to read the cities on the 3 sub-dials. For such an object we could not be surprised at prices above 500,000€.
Jacob & Co Five Timezone diamanti
An iconic watch in the world of hip-hop, it could not be missing from Pharrell’s collection. This Jacob&Co shows as many as 5 time zones on the dial, considering the time marked by the hands. Unlike the one in the photo, however, the singer’s is with an alligator strap.
That Pharrell is used to stellar pieces (…and prices!) we could guess with this quick peek at his collection. We are really happy that he was finally able to get closer to the stars, as he has always dreamed, with the release of the new model designed with Richard Mille.
What do you guys think? Would you be willing to pay nearly a million to look at Earth from the eyes of Pharrell Williams in the dial of the brand new Richard Mille RM 52-05, or would you rather wait for space travel to become routine? Let us know in the comments
