Yohan Blake, the Jamaican sprinter who holds the world record for the 100 metre sprint joins fellow sportsmen Rafael Nadal, Felipe Massa and golfer Bubba Watson as spokespersons for Richard Mille, the Swiss watch manufacturer known for producing high-performance, ultra-light watches of the highest quality.
The 23-year-old is affectionately known as "The Beast" for his style of running, in which he holds his hands like claws. He is the third fastest sprinter in the world, with a record of 9.69 seconds for the 100 metres.
Wearing a prototype of the RM 059-01 tourbillon by Richard Mille, Blake pushed the resilience of the sophisticated mechanism under extreme conditions and to the limits, with the timepiece's casing moulded to Blake's wrist, to ensure paramount comfort in a sport in which air resistance matters to the milli-seconds.
At Richard Mille's boutique in Harrods to unveil the first commercially-produced RM 059-01, Richard Mille revealed that only 50 pieces of the exquisite creation each costing £438,000 will be available.
Inspired by Blake's Jamaican nationality, the RM 059-01 is coloured in bright green with yellow details with a case is made out of a highly-resistant carbon compound injected with nano tubes. Four 'claws', inspired by the "Beast" also serve the purpose of a bridge for the mechanism.
Wearing the Yohan Blake Tourbillon Prototype, Blake won silver medals for the 100m and 200m and a gold for the 4 x 100m relay at the London 2012 Olympics and also the 100m and became the third fastest sprinter of all time over this distance, beating his personal best, at the Diamond League in Lausanne.
The unique timepiece will be donated to the 5th annual edition of the Only Watch charity auction in Monaco on 28 September 2013, with proceeds benefiting the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy.
Richard Mille himself added, "This prototype, which was worn by Yohan Blake during the London Olympic Games, created an enormous amount of media attention. It is a unique piece based upon the RM 038 but adapted to Yohan Blake’s specifications."
This watch has experienced the joy of the podium and shared the spotlight with the gold and silver medals won by Yohan. It is truly a piece of historic importance.
Richard Mille can be purchased at authorized retailers and the following locations:
Richard Mille Resorts World Sentosa
Lobby Level, Hotel Michael #02-102,
26 Sentosa Gateway Resort World Sentosa
Singapore 098269
(65) 6659 1313
Richard Mille Marina Bay Sands
1 Bayfront Avenue, #01-08 Marina Bay Sands Hotel
Singapore 018956
(65) 6336 1313
Richard Mille Grand Hyatt
10 Scotts Road,
Singapore 228211
(65) 6733 1313
