Richard Mille Designs World Series of Poker Trophy

The “Big One For One Drop” tournament organized by the World Series of Poker took place in Las Vegas from July 1st to 3rd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The tournament is the world’s most important and prestigious, and its one-million-dollar entry fee is the highest in the history of poker.

This year, the profits from the tournament will be paid to the “One Drop” Foundation established by Guy Laliberté, creator of Cirque du Soleil®, which works to provide universal access to water. It is thus one of the most spectacular charitable initiatives ever undertaken in the history of poker.

Richard Mille, who is deeply touched by the initiatives of his friend Guy, wished to offer his support by creating the trophy awarded to the winner of the World Series of Poker. When designing this tonneau-shaped timepiece, Mélanie Treton-Monceyron, the brand’s Artistic Director, naturally based her work on the symbolism behind the “One Drop” Foundation’s mission, “water for all, all for water“, to create the unique watch.

Two sapphire crystals were superimposed in the heart of a case to give enhanced depth, and were then screen-printed with the logo of the “Big One For One Drop” tournament. A pear-shaped diamond of 0.78K was then set in the first sapphire crystal and placed on the logo of the ‘One Drop’ Foundation, which is, naturally, a drop of water.

Another characteristic is the platinum bracelet, which has been entirely wire-cut, and its components, which have all been assembled, cambered and enameled by hand, then polished using a micro-blasting technique. Given the hard and brittle nature of platinum, it is extremely difficult to work and this exceptional piece thus required no less than 120 hours.
http://iwmagazine.com/2012/07/05/richard-mille-designs-world-series-of-poker-trophy/