Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish football icon and AC Milan forward, was recently spotted wearing one of Patek Philippe's most coveted and mechanically ambitious sports watches — the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph in 18K rose gold, reference 5990/1R, fitted with a sunburst blue dial. For a man whose personal brand has always projected dominance and luxury in equal measure, the choice of reference is telling.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990/1R is a genuine tour de force within the Nautilus family. Introduced in 2014, it combines a flyback chronograph with a local/home dual time zone complication and a day/night indicator — functions controlled through an elegant integrated pusher system on the left side of the case. The case itself measures 40.5mm in 18K rose gold, water-resistant to 120 metres, and carries the signature horizontally embossed blue dial that made the Nautilus a design icon since Gerald Genta first sketched it in 1976. Powering it is the in-house Caliber CH 28-520 C FUS, a column-wheel flyback movement with a 45-to-55 hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire caseback.

Among collectors, the 5990/1R occupies a rarefied position. It represents the intersection of two highly desirable attributes: the enduring cultural capital of the Nautilus lineage and the mechanical complexity of a manufacture chronograph. The rose gold variant with blue dial is arguably the most wearable and visually harmonious configuration in the 5990 range, and it has consistently attracted premium attention on the secondary market.

Ibrahimovic has long cultivated a reputation as one of football's most watch-literate personalities. His collection, documented across social media and public appearances, spans Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks, Richard Mille pieces, and various Patek Philippe references. The 5990/1R fits his aesthetic precisely — functional, architecturally bold, and unambiguously expensive.

At retail, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990/1R carries a list price of approximately $114,730. On the grey market, demand has pushed values dramatically higher, with current estimates placing the reference at around $350,000 — a premium that reflects both the Nautilus bubble and the genuine scarcity of this complication-equipped rose gold variant.