Photo: Richard Mille
Being mobbed by fans must be good for the ego, but it’s definitely bad for the wallet. Formula One driver Charles Leclerc was just robbed of a valuable Richard Mille watch during an unexpected fan encounter in Italy.
According to reports in the Italian media cited by ESPN, French driver Charles Leclerc and his trainer Andrea Ferrari were out and about in the Tuscan city of Viareggio when they were ambushed by fans. In the commotion and confusion that ensued, one thief slipped Leclerc’s watch off his wrist and made off with it. Leclerc only noticed the watch was missing later that night and has since reported the incident to the police.
An investigation is now underway to track down the watch, which was a Richard Mille, either a one-off or a heavily personalized model, estimated at $320,000. The media outlet doesn’t say which RM model it was, but Leclerc and the watchmaker have been collaborating for years. Richard Mille is one of Leclerc’s sponsors. Richard Mille and Ferrari partnered in 2021, which led to the development of a special Leclerc prototype, painted in his flag colors and featuring the in-house CRMA7 caliber.
The RM 67-02 Leclerc prototype, which Leclerc himself wore and tested extensively, sold at an auction last year for a whopping $2.3 million, even though its production cost was just $320,000, becoming the world’s most expensive quartz watch. A standard RM 67-02, the lightest sports watch from the luxury watchmaker, usually retails for upwards of $120,000, but several athletes models have been released so far, with prices going all the way up to $375,000.
Whether Leclerc was wearing an RM 67-02 or not, his trainer believes the theft could have been prevented. “Via Salvatori has been completely in the dark for months. We have been reporting this for months,” Ferrari wrote on social media. “Well, yesterday evening in Via Salvatori, they have robbed us. Think of arranging the lamps sooner or later? Asking for a friend.”
Leclerc is the latest high-profile athlete to have been robbed of a valuable watch in recent weeks. Just this week, boxing champ Amir Khan was mugged in London, with thieves running off with his custom, diamond-studded Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph.
An investigation is now underway to track down the watch, which was a Richard Mille, either a one-off or a heavily personalized model, estimated at $320,000. The media outlet doesn’t say which RM model it was, but Leclerc and the watchmaker have been collaborating for years. Richard Mille is one of Leclerc’s sponsors. Richard Mille and Ferrari partnered in 2021, which led to the development of a special Leclerc prototype, painted in his flag colors and featuring the in-house CRMA7 caliber.
The RM 67-02 Leclerc prototype, which Leclerc himself wore and tested extensively, sold at an auction last year for a whopping $2.3 million, even though its production cost was just $320,000, becoming the world’s most expensive quartz watch. A standard RM 67-02, the lightest sports watch from the luxury watchmaker, usually retails for upwards of $120,000, but several athletes models have been released so far, with prices going all the way up to $375,000.
Whether Leclerc was wearing an RM 67-02 or not, his trainer believes the theft could have been prevented. “Via Salvatori has been completely in the dark for months. We have been reporting this for months,” Ferrari wrote on social media. “Well, yesterday evening in Via Salvatori, they have robbed us. Think of arranging the lamps sooner or later? Asking for a friend.”
Leclerc is the latest high-profile athlete to have been robbed of a valuable watch in recent weeks. Just this week, boxing champ Amir Khan was mugged in London, with thieves running off with his custom, diamond-studded Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph.
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