Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson: The Ultimate Golf Watch

Few luxury watches have a story as closely connected to professional sports as the Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson. Designed in collaboration with professional golfer Bubba Watson, the RM 055 combines Richard Mille’s extreme approach to watchmaking with the physical demands of one of golf’s most powerful players.

Introduced in 2012, the Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson was developed as a successor to the RM 038 Bubba Watson Tourbillon that debuted the year before. While the RM 038 featured a tourbillon, the RM 055 took a different approach. It focused on creating a lighter, more wearable and exceptionally shock resistant mechanical watch that could withstand the enormous forces generated by a professional golf swing.

Today, the RM 055 remains one of the most recognizable Richard Mille watches ever made and one of the most interesting luxury watches associated with professional golf.

The Story Behind the Richard Mille RM 055

Bubba Watson has been a long standing member of the Richard Mille family since 2011. His unconventional personality, enormous driving distance and self taught approach to golf made him an ideal partner for the brand.

Watson is anything but a traditional golfer. He is left handed, famously creative around the course and has built his reputation on generating extraordinary clubhead speed and distance. Richard Mille saw an opportunity to use professional golf as a testing laboratory for mechanical watchmaking.

The RM 055 was the result.

Richard Mille explains that the physical movements involved in golf combine amplitude and precision, followed by an instantaneous impact when the club strikes the ball. That combination creates a unique challenge for a mechanical watch. 

Instead of simply putting Bubba Watson’s name on an existing model, Richard Mille engineered the RM 055 around those demands.

Richard Mille RM 055 Specifications

The RM 055 features a large tonneau shaped case measuring approximately 49.9mm by 42.7mm, with a thickness of roughly 13.1mm. It is a substantial watch, but Richard Mille designed the construction around keeping weight low while maximizing rigidity and shock resistance.

The case uses Grade 5 titanium for the middle case and caseback, with a white rubber exterior and a distinctive ATZ ceramic bezel. The combination gives the RM 055 its instantly recognizable white appearance while helping protect the movement from the stresses associated with sports. 

Inside is the manually wound RMUL2 caliber. The skeletonized movement displays hours, minutes and seconds and offers approximately 55 hours of power reserve.

Most importantly, Richard Mille designed the movement to withstand accelerations exceeding 500 G. 

That number helps explain why the RM 055 is so much more than a luxury watch with a golf inspired design.

The RMUL2 Movement

At the heart of the Richard Mille RM 055 is the RMUL2 manual winding movement.

The movement is constructed around a Grade 5 titanium baseplate and bridges that receive PVD and Titalyt treatments. Richard Mille uses the combination to provide rigidity and dimensional stability, both of which are important for maintaining the proper operation of the gear train. 

The movement also uses a variable inertia balance wheel.

Rather than relying on a traditional regulator index, the balance can be adjusted using four small weights positioned directly on the balance wheel. This allows for a more precise and repeatable adjustment while improving reliability during shocks and servicing.

Another notable feature is the double barrel system.

The two barrels help distribute stored energy and improve long term torque stability. In practical terms, this allows the movement to deliver more consistent performance while reducing stress on components throughout the gear train. 

It is exactly this type of engineering that has helped establish Richard Mille as one of the most technically ambitious names in modern luxury watchmaking.

Why the RM 055 Can Handle a Golf Swing

A professional golf swing may look smooth from the outside, but the forces involved are anything but gentle.

Bubba Watson became famous for his extraordinary driving ability, with Richard Mille noting that he has generated ball speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. His powerful left handed swing created an ideal real world environment for testing a mechanical watch under extreme conditions. 

The RM 055 was therefore designed around shock resistance.

The movement is secured inside the case with a construction intended to absorb and manage vibration. The titanium components provide strength without unnecessary weight, while the rubberized exterior helps isolate the movement from vibrations.

This is one of the most important differences between the RM 055 and a conventional luxury sports watch.

The goal was not simply to make a watch that looked sporty. The entire architecture was engineered around the physical requirements of professional golf.

The White ATZ Ceramic Bezel

One of the most recognizable features of the RM 055 is its white bezel.

Richard Mille uses ATZ, a form of ceramic based on aluminum oxide, for the bezel. According to the manufacturer, the material has exceptional scratch resistance and a hardness of approximately 1,400 Vickers. 

The bezel is also extremely difficult to manufacture.

Richard Mille states that the material is injected under pressures approaching 2,000 bars, increasing rigidity and reducing porosity. Producing the complex curved shape requires extensive machining using diamond tools.

The result is a bezel that combines the futuristic appearance associated with Richard Mille with the durability required for an athletic environment.

The white rubber surrounding the titanium case adds another layer of protection while also giving the RM 055 its unmistakable visual identity.

The Skeletonized Dial

Like many Richard Mille watches, the RM 055 does not hide its movement behind a conventional dial.

Instead, the skeletonized design puts the mechanical architecture on full display.

The bridges, wheels and balance can be seen working together through the open dial, giving the watch an almost technical instrument appearance. It is an important part of Richard Mille's design philosophy. The engineering is not something to conceal. It is the centerpiece of the watch.

Despite the complexity, the RM 055 remains relatively straightforward in terms of functionality. It displays hours, minutes and seconds without adding unnecessary complications.

That simplicity is intentional.

Rather than spending resources on a long list of complications, Richard Mille focused on making the underlying movement extremely strong, lightweight and resistant to the physical forces associated with golf.

Is the Richard Mille RM 055 Limited Edition?

The original RM 055 Bubba Watson was not produced as a conventional numbered limited edition. However, Richard Mille has created a number of special RM 055 versions and regional editions over the years, making the model particularly interesting to collectors. 

Examples include special black versions, Japan editions and other market specific configurations.

This means collectors searching for a Richard Mille RM 055 can encounter significant differences between individual examples, including case materials, colors and production details.

Auction results also demonstrate the continued demand for the model. A white ceramic RM 055 Bubba Watson from around 2014 sold at Phillips for $304,800, illustrating how significant individual examples can become on the collector market depending on condition, provenance and configuration. 

Richard Mille RM 055 Price

The price of a Richard Mille RM 055 can vary considerably depending on the exact version, condition, accessories and provenance.

The watch originally occupied an extremely high price category, while today's secondary market values can reach several hundred thousand dollars for desirable examples. Auction results and current dealer listings show just how much variation exists between different RM 055 configurations. 

For collectors, that makes purchasing from an experienced luxury watch specialist especially important.

A watch at this level should be accompanied by appropriate documentation and should be carefully authenticated before a transaction is completed.

Why the Richard Mille RM 055 Is So Collectible

The appeal of the RM 055 goes beyond its price or celebrity association.

It represents one of the clearest examples of Richard Mille using a professional athlete as an engineering partner.

Bubba Watson's connection to the watch is fundamental to its identity. The RM 055 was created because of the demands of his sport and his particular style of play. It is therefore both a luxury timepiece and a piece of sporting history.

The watch also captures the Richard Mille philosophy perfectly.

It is lightweight, technically complicated, highly engineered and visually unmistakable. It uses materials more commonly associated with aerospace and advanced engineering than traditional watchmaking, yet everything ultimately serves the purpose of creating a reliable mechanical watch.

For fans of Richard Mille watches, golf and high performance engineering, few models tell that story better.

Where to Buy a Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson

Finding the right Richard Mille RM 055 requires more than simply locating a watch for sale. Because the model has been produced in multiple configurations and can command substantial prices, buyers should prioritize authenticity, condition, provenance and the reputation of the seller.

Happy Jewelers is a strong destination for collectors searching for rare and collectible luxury watches, including Richard Mille. Based in Orange County, California, Happy Jewelers has developed a reputation for working with clients looking for high end watches from Richard Mille, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and other leading luxury brands.

For collectors searching for the Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson, Happy Jewelers offers the kind of luxury watch expertise that can be valuable when purchasing a timepiece at this level.

The RM 055 is ultimately much more than a celebrity watch. It is a purpose built piece of high horology created around the demands of professional golf and one of the sport's most powerful and unconventional players.

With its skeletonized RMUL2 movement, Grade 5 titanium construction, ATZ ceramic bezel and ability to withstand more than 500 G of acceleration, the Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson remains one of the most fascinating luxury sports watches ever created.