Don’t drop that: Top golfer Lydia Ko spotted autographing ultra-luxe Richard Mille watch at Singapore tournament

Accomplished and famous athletes are probably used to autographing all sorts of items for their fans.

But for Lydia Ko, currently the world's number one professional woman golfer, one autograph-signing encounter seems to have left her a little awestruck.

Appearing at the 2023 Aramco Team Series Singapore that was held from March 16 to 18, the top golfer from New Zealand was spotted autographing what looks like an ultra-expensive Richard Mille watch – which was handed to her by a young boy. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@chamhuii/video/7211902870407482625[/embed]

In the TikTok video uploaded by user Chamhuii, Ko said after she was handed the watch to sign: "This is the most expensive thing I have ever signed."

The 25-year-old golfer was so surprised by this expensive timepiece that she even offered to sign a glove as an additional autograph for the young boy. 

Richard Mille watches are recognised as luxury pieces with equally high price tags. 

World-famous professional tennis player Rafael Nadal was seen wearing a watch by the Swiss brand while breaking the all-time Grand Slams record at the French Open 2022. 

Like Ko, people who saw the TikTok clip were also shocked to see such a high-end watch casually offered by the young boy to be signed. 

The original poster, Chamhuii, clarified in the comments that the luxury watch is owned by the boy's father, who she said had willingly offered to his child to use for an autograph. 

Many in the comments questioned the parent's decision to allow an exorbitantly priced watch that can cost more than an HDB flat in Singapore to be autographed.

A check on Chrono24, the biggest online watch marketplace, shows that most of the watches are in the six-figure range. 

Some commenters exchanged jokes about the situation. 

Local watch dealer Edmund Ko from Three Crowns Jewellery & Watch told AsiaOne that Richard Mille watches are sold exclusively to the uber-rich in Singapore and that those rare limited edition models could go for millions of dollars. 

So it begs the question: Which is more valuable, the luxury watch or the autograph from professional golfer Ko?

AsiaOne has reached out to Cham for comment. 

Young watch dealer shows off $500k collection

In a two-minute TikTok clip posted by user Koocester on Oct 24, a 21-year-old watch dealer, who goes by Ben, took viewers through his watch collection of a dozen or so timepieces worth about $500,000. 

Some people in the comments have speculated that Ben, who runs Bentimepieces, was born with a silver spoon.

However, there were those who objected to this train of thought and advised others to avoid making assumptions. 

ALSO READ: 'I'm just very fortunate': Gen Z law student flexes watches worth 'roughly $800k' on TikTok

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com

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