The Richard Mille RM 055 Bubba Watson arrived in 2012 as a direct descendant of the RM 038 Bubba Watson Tourbillon, the watch Richard Mille had unveiled in 2011 for the long-hitting American golfer Bubba Watson. Where the RM 038 carried a tourbillon and was strictly limited, the RM 055 stripped the complication away to deliver a time-only, manual-winding sports watch at a more accessible point in the catalogue. Collectors quickly nicknamed it the "Baby Bubba," and it became one of the most recognizable entry points into the Richard Mille universe.
At the heart of the RM 055 sits the caliber RMUL2, a manual-winding movement displaying hours, minutes and seconds with roughly 55 hours of power reserve from a double barrel. The skeletonized baseplate and bridges are machined from grade 5 titanium with PVD and Titalyt treatments so the movement can survive enormous shocks; Richard Mille rates the construction to withstand accelerations of over 500 g, a figure born directly from Bubba Watson's violent golf swing. There is no tourbillon, which keeps the watch lighter and lower-profile than its RM 038 predecessor while preserving the brand's racing-machine architecture.
The RM 055 is built around a tonneau-shaped case measuring 49.90 x 42.70 x 13.05mm. The signature standard version uses an ATZ ceramic bezel and caseback, an yttria-stabilized zirconia and alumina material prized for its extreme scratch resistance and stable color. The midcase is grade 5 titanium, jacketed in white rubber injected at high pressure to insulate the movement from vibration. Over its production run, Richard Mille issued a series of regional and boutique editions: a Japan Edition limited to 40 pieces with white ceramic and a blue rubber strap, an Asia Edition limited to 50 pieces in black ceramic with rose gold hands, and an All Grey Boutique Edition limited to 50 pieces with a shot-blasted titanium carbide bezel. Carbon TPT, rose gold and diamond-set executions further expanded the family before the reference was retired to Richard Mille's historical archive.
Collectors are drawn to the RM 055 because it distills the Richard Mille formula, advanced materials, skeletonized engineering and ultralight wearability, into a more wearable, time-only package than the brand's grand tourbillons. Its association with Bubba Watson, whose RM 038 won the 2012 Masters at Augusta, gives the family genuine sporting provenance, while the ceramic, carbon and titanium variants keep the secondary market lively. Now discontinued and succeeded by the RM 55-01, the RM 055 has become a sought-after pre-owned Richard Mille, with value driven heavily by edition, material and condition.
Bedesten Watches has sold authentic Richard Mille watches in Istanbul since 1999. For RM 055 Bubba Watson availability, references and current pricing, visit our Suadiye store in Kadikoy or message us on WhatsApp +90 532 327 88 26; we sell, buy and appraise, and accept TRY, USD and EUR.