Tadej Pogacar fronts million dollar watch launch but will leave it at home for the Tour

The world champion has become the face of a new collaboration between Italian bicycle manufacturer Colnago and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille. Their creation, the RM 64 01 Tourbillon Colnago, is priced at 800,000 Swiss francs before tax, close to one million dollars at current exchange rates.

Only 50 examples will be produced, placing the model firmly in the category of rare collectables rather than sports equipment. Yet despite appearing prominently in the campaign, Pogačar will not race with the watch on his wrist during the Tour.

Colnago has attributed that decision to "personal safety concerns".

Colnago has offered little detail beyond citing personal safety concerns, but the decision is not difficult to understand. 

Pogačar will spend much of his Tour de France in open and highly public environments, moving between hotels, team buses, start areas and crowded finish zones. Wearing a watch worth close to one million dollars would add an obvious and unnecessary security risk.

It also exposes a tension in Richard Mille’s approach to sport. The brand has built much of its visibility by putting its watches on athletes during competition, rather than limiting them to ceremonies, advertising campaigns or private events. In cycling, that strategy has placed the company directly inside some of the sport’s most recognisable moments.

Pogačar has been associated with Richard Mille since 2021 and has regularly worn the brand’s watches at major races, as has his great rival Mathieu van der Poel, who is also an ambassador for the Swiss watchmaker. 

That visibility has not always come without consequences. During Paris-Roubaix in 2025, Pogačar crashed on the cobbles while wearing a Richard Mille watch. The impact forced the watch into his wrist, cutting the skin and leaving blood visible on his white glove as he continued the race.

The new RM 64 01 Tourbillon Colnago takes that association a step further. Rather than simply placing a watch on Pogačar’s wrist, Richard Mille and Colnago have designed a model around the visual identity of the Italian bicycle manufacturer.

The layout of the movement is intended to echo the structure of a bicycle frame, with components arranged to resemble tubes, geometry and drivetrain elements. Star shaped details are inspired by the Gilco tubing used on some of Colnago’s most famous frames, including the Colnago Master. The company’s ace of clubs logo also appears on the crown.

The watch includes a manually wound tourbillon movement, titanium bridges and a composite case finished with gold details. Its white, blue and gold colour scheme refers to some of Colnago’s most exclusive recent bicycles.

The RM 64 01 may have been designed with the bicycle in mind, but it will not be tested in the peloton. When Pogačar lines up for the Tour, the watch bearing Colnago’s name will be reserved for the collectors able to afford one.