Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Frank Lampard spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Frank Lampard has been photographed wearing one of the most serious wristwatches in any collector's arsenal: the Patek Philippe Reference 5070P, a platinum-cased manual-wind chronograph that the Geneva manufacture produced from 1998 until approximately 2011. It is a watch that rewards those who know what they are looking at.

The 5070 family was introduced as Patek Philippe's contemporary interpretation of the classic horizontal-clutch chronograph, housed in a 42mm case — considered generous for Patek at the time of its launch. The platinum variant, the 5070P, was the rarest of the three metal options, which also included yellow gold (5070J) and white gold (5070G). Beneath the dial sits the manually wound calibre CH 27-70, itself a development of the historic Lemania 2310 movement — a no-date, column-wheel chronograph with a 55-hour power reserve. The movement is impeccably finished to Patek's exacting standards, with Geneva Seal decoration throughout. The 5070P featured a distinctive blue dial, setting it apart visually and making it one of the most immediately recognisable references in the post-millennium Patek catalogue.

Among serious collectors, the 5070 series carries considerable weight. Its discontinuation in the early 2010s, combined with the relatively small production numbers of the platinum variant, has made the 5070P a consistent performer at auction. Examples have sold at Christie's and Phillips for figures well into six figures, and the reference is frequently cited alongside the 5004 and 5020 as a defining Patek of its generation. It is not a watch that ends up on wrists by accident.

Lampard has long been known within football circles as a genuine watch enthusiast rather than a casual buyer. His collection spans multiple Patek references, and the 5070P sits firmly at the apex of that collection — a piece that demands knowledge to acquire and confidence to wear daily.

On the secondary market, platinum 5070P examples command significant premiums over their original list prices. With an original UK RRP in the region of £60,000, current grey-market valuations for clean examples with box and papers consistently exceed $200,000 USD, reflecting both the reference's scarcity and its enduring desirability among informed collectors.