Watchmaker Richard Mille pays tribute to Yas Marina with special-edition timepiece

The official timing partner at Abu Dhabi's iconic circuit launches a limited-edition watch for the UAE

The limited-edition RM 055 Yas Marina Circuit is decorated with the venue's famous blue colour scheme

Anyone who’s visited Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit will be familiar with the name Richard Mille. One of the watchmaking world’s most storied brands, its link with top-level motor sport is no coincidence – the company’s tagline being "A Racing Machine on the Wrist" – and it happens to be the venue’s official timing partner.

Richard Mille has made a name for itself around the world by producing highly complicated special-edition watches that are highly prized by collectors, and its latest has been designed to celebrate the enduring partnership it enjoys with Yas Marina.

Limited to just 50 pieces, all of which will be available exclusively to UAE customers, the RM 055 Yas Marina Circuit timepiece features a flange and crown rubber in the unmistakable Yas Blue that sections of the track are painted with. Turn the watch around and you’ll discover the YMC logo on the sapphire glass case-back.

The complexity of Richard Mille timepieces is mind-boggling, and the Yas Marina edition is no exception. Made from titanium, the movement displays extreme skeletonisation visible through either side of its case and its calibre is capable of withstanding enormous physical forces, including acceleration of more than 500-Gs. And just like the cars that scream around Yas Marina during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the case itself is constructed from more than 600 layers of carbon fibre, giving it incredible rigidity and resistance to impacts.

The piece is only available at Richard Mille’s two UAE boutiques in The Galleria in Abu Dhabi, and The Dubai Mall.