Richard Mille and Ferrari: the RM UP-01, the RM 43-01 and the partnership pieces

Richard Mille and Ferrari signed a multi-year partnership in 2021, and the watches that followed are the most extreme pieces the brand has made: the RM UP-01 Ferrari of 2022, at 1.75 mm the thinnest mechanical watch in the world when it launched, and the RM 43-01 Ferrari of 2025, a split-seconds chronograph tourbillon designed with Ferrari's own styling centre. Both are limited to 150 pieces, both sold out at retail and both trade only on the secondary market, where the entry point is well into six figures and rises past a million dollars for the rarer pieces. This guide explains what the partnership covers, what each watch is, how the pieces compare with the earlier Ferrari watches made by Hublot and with Richard Mille's McLaren range, what they cost on the secondary market in 2026, and what to check before buying one. Bizak & Co. sources Richard Mille Ferrari pieces to order; the Richard Mille collection lists the references we can seek.

Last reviewed on September 21, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Prices are dated observations, not quotes.

What is the Richard Mille and Ferrari partnership?

Richard Mille became Ferrari's official watch partner in 2021, when Ferrari ended a decade with Hublot. The agreement covers the Formula 1 team, whose cars have carried Richard Mille branding since the 2021 season, the Ferrari Hypercar programme that returned to Le Mans in 2023 with the 499P, Ferrari's GT racing and the road-car side of the business, including Ferrari's design centre under Flavio Manzoni. It is a two-way arrangement: Richard Mille supplies watches and branding to the racing programmes, and Ferrari's designers and engineers take part in the design of the watches. That last point is what separates the Ferrari pieces from a normal sponsorship. The RM UP-01 and RM 43-01 were drawn with Ferrari's styling centre, and the case forms, the colour codes and even the typography borrow from the cars rather than simply carrying a prancing horse on the dial.

Richard Mille has long built its range around athletes and racing partners, from Felipe Massa's RM 011 in 2004 to Rafael Nadal's RM 027 and the McLaren pieces that began in 2016. Ferrari sits at the top of that hierarchy. The Ferrari watches are made in the smallest numbers, carry the highest prices and have the longest waiting lists of any partnership pieces the brand has released.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari: the 1.75 mm watch

The RM UP-01 was Richard Mille's answer to the thinness race that Piaget and Bulgari had been running since the Altiplano Ultimate Concept of 2018 and the Octo Finissimo Ultra of March 2022. Where those watches shaved millimetres by using the case back as the main plate, Richard Mille went further and rebuilt the escapement, removing the traditional balance stud and using a patented flat balance assembly so that the whole movement is thinner than a credit card. The result is a watch that reads more like a piece of racing hardware than a wristwatch, which was the point. Ferrari's contribution shows in the case proportions, the visible screws that echo the bodywork fixings of the cars, and the grey and yellow accents that come from the Ferrari colour library.

Source: Richard Mille collections lists the current and limited pieces; the brand's services page covers warranty and authorised service, which matters for a watch this thin.

Richard Mille RM 43-01 Ferrari: the split-seconds tourbillon

The second partnership watch arrived in early 2025. The RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari is a very different object from the UP-01: a full tonneau case in Richard Mille's familiar three-part construction, housing a manual-winding tourbillon with a split-seconds chronograph, which is among the most difficult combinations in watchmaking. It was designed jointly with Ferrari's Centro Stile and takes visual cues from Ferrari's road cars, with a movement architecture laid out to resemble an engine block, a red function selector and a power reserve display. Richard Mille made 150 pieces in total, split between a microblasted grade 5 titanium case and a Carbon TPT case, and allocated them to existing clients. Retail was in the seven figures in US dollars. Secondary asks in 2025 and 2026 have been above retail because so few pieces exist and most buyers keep them.

Together the two watches show the range of the partnership. The UP-01 is a technical exercise in thinness that few people will wear daily; the RM 43-01 is a wearable grand complication in Richard Mille's house style with Ferrari's fingerprints on the details.

How do the Ferrari pieces compare with Richard Mille's McLaren watches?

The McLaren watches are the practical comparison. The RM 11-03 McLaren is an automatic chronograph you can wear every day and is made in numbers that mean it is always available somewhere. The Ferrari pieces are rarer by a factor of three or more, mechanically more extreme and priced accordingly. A buyer who wants a Richard Mille with a car connection on the wrist rather than in a safe is usually better served by the McLaren range or by the Le Mans Classic editions; a buyer who wants the rarest partnership pieces the brand has made is looking at Ferrari.

Ferrari watches before Richard Mille: Hublot, Panerai and Girard-Perregaux

Ferrari has licensed its name to watchmakers for decades, and the earlier pieces are worth knowing because they turn up in searches for "Ferrari watch". Girard-Perregaux made Ferrari-branded chronographs in the 1990s. Panerai produced a Ferrari range from 2005 to 2010, with cases in the Panerai style and Ferrari dials; those watches sold poorly at the time and remain inexpensive on the secondary market. Hublot held the partnership from 2011 to 2021 and made the Big Bang Ferrari and the MP-05 LaFerrari, a 50-day power reserve piece with eleven barrels. None of these are Richard Mille watches, and none carries anything like the Richard Mille prices. If a listing offers a "Ferrari Richard Mille" under six figures, it is either not genuine or not a Ferrari partnership piece.

How much is a Richard Mille Ferrari watch in 2026?

• Retail. Both partnership watches were announced at seven-figure US dollar prices and allocated by Richard Mille boutiques to existing clients; there is no walk-in availability. The Richard Mille collections page shows the current line-up, and prices are given on request through boutiques.
• Secondary market. RM UP-01 Ferrari asks in 2025 and 2026 have sat in a wide band, with some examples below the announced retail and unworn full sets above it; the spread reflects how few change hands and how much the technical novelty appeals to a given buyer. RM 43-01 asks have generally been above retail.
• Bizak catalogue ask. Bizak's sourced catalogue listed the RM UP-01 Ferrari at US$899,999 on 21 September 2026, sourced to order. Our McLaren RM 11-03 examples listed at US$367,349 and US$371,999 pre-owned on the same day.

Those figures describe what we saw and will move. Ask for a dated quote for the exact piece, year and set; our Richard Mille price guide explains how to compare quotes across references.

Is the RM UP-01 Ferrari a good investment?

It is a piece to hold rather than trade. Richard Mille limited editions with an athlete or partner name have generally held or gained value once the edition sold out, and the Ferrari pieces have the strongest story of any of them. Against that, the RM UP-01 is a technical curiosity that few people wear, its 10 m water resistance and flush crowns make it a watch for the safe and the occasional dinner, and the secondary market for a US$900,000 watch is thin, so exit takes time. The RM 43-01 is the more conventional collectable because it is a full complication in the house style. Buy either because you want it; if resale matters, ask for a written cash-buy assessment before you commit.

How does the RM UP-01 wear?

At about 51 mm by 39 mm the UP-01 covers more of the wrist than most Richard Mille watches, but because it is 1.75 mm thick it disappears under a cuff in a way no other piece from the brand does. The strap is a flat textile with a Velcro closure, chosen because a conventional rubber strap and folding clasp would be thicker than the watch. Reading the time takes practice: the dial is small and off-centre and there is no seconds hand. Setting it requires the supplied tool, so this is not a watch to reset across time zones. Owners tend to wear it for events and keep a different Richard Mille for daily use.

Buying a Richard Mille Ferrari watch: what to check

• Edition number and papers. Both watches are numbered out of 150. The number on the case should match the warranty card and the Richard Mille sales record; ask for the boutique invoice as well as the card.
• Boutique history. Ferrari pieces were allocated to named clients. A watch with a clean chain from the original boutique client is worth more than one that has passed through several hands.
• Case condition. Titanium marks easily, and the UP-01's flat case has large brushed surfaces that show every scratch. Carbon TPT on the RM 43-01 is hard to damage but chips at edges if dropped.
• Crown tool and accessories. The UP-01 ships with a dedicated tool for the selector wheels. A watch without it cannot be set and the tool is not sold separately outside Richard Mille service.
• Service status. Richard Mille services its own watches. Ask whether the piece has been back to the brand and keep the paperwork; an ultra-flat calibre needs a specialist.
• Price against the band. A Ferrari partnership piece offered well below the market is the single most reliable warning sign, because anyone holding one can sell it quickly at the going rate.

Our authentication process describes what we inspect before dispatch.

Quick answers

What is the Richard Mille Ferrari watch?

There are two: the RM UP-01 Ferrari of 2022, a 1.75 mm ultra-flat manual-winding watch limited to 150 pieces, and the RM 43-01 Ferrari of 2025, a split-seconds chronograph tourbillon also limited to 150 pieces. Both were designed with Ferrari's styling centre.

How much does the RM UP-01 Ferrari cost?

Richard Mille announced a seven-figure US dollar retail price in 2022 and allocated the 150 pieces to existing clients. Bizak's sourced catalogue listed one at US$899,999 on 21 September 2026, sourced to order; secondary asks vary widely with condition and set.

Is the RM UP-01 the thinnest watch in the world?

At launch in July 2022 it was the thinnest mechanical wristwatch at 1.75 mm, beating the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra at 1.80 mm. Thinness records change hands, so check the current position before repeating the claim.

When did Richard Mille start working with Ferrari?

The partnership was announced in 2021, when Ferrari ended its decade with Hublot. Richard Mille branding has appeared on the Ferrari Formula 1 cars since the 2021 season and on the 499P Hypercar since 2023.

Can you buy a Richard Mille Ferrari at retail?

No. Both editions sold out through boutique allocation to existing clients. The only route now is the secondary market or a dealer who sources to order.

Request a Richard Mille Ferrari sourcing quote

Tell us which piece you are after, the case material for the RM 43-01, your condition and set requirements, plus your budget and timing, through our sourcing enquiry form. We confirm the specific watch, photographs, papers and final price before you commit. Catalogue entries: RM UP-01 Ferrari, RM 11-03 McLaren; browse the Richard Mille collection, the watches over US$50,000 collection, or sell or trade your Richard Mille.

Related reading: Richard Mille price guide · Rolex Daytona 126500LN guide · Watch nicknames explained · Patek Philippe price guide.