Racing driver Sergio Pérez spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Racing driver Sergio Pérez was photographed at the 2026 Austin Formula 1 Grand Prix wearing a Patek Philippe Ref. 5231G World Timer in white gold. The timepiece sat prominently on his wrist during paddock appearances, its distinctive enamel dial—rendered in vivid greens and blues depicting South East Asia and Oceania—immediately visible despite the professional setting. This sighting marks a notable alignment between Pérez's global F1 schedule and Patek Philippe's most sophisticated travel complication.

The Patek Philippe Ref. 5231G is a 42 mm white gold case housing the in-house calibre 324 S QA 24 automatic movement, a workhorse calibre that powers many of Patek's mid-range complications. The movement delivers 48-hour power reserve and features a 24-hour disc visible through the dial, permitting instantaneous second-timezone setting—a practical necessity for drivers competing across four continents per season. Water resistance stands at 30 meters, sufficient for daily wear but secondary to the watch's role as a horological status symbol.

Pérez's example employs Patek Philippe's celebrated Cloisonné enamel dial technique, a labour-intensive process in which hand-painted geographical regions are separated by fine gold wires and fired at high temperature. The South East Asia and Oceania variant is part of Patek's World Timer collection, which includes regional interpretations depicting North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Each enamel dial is unique; micro-variations in colour saturation and enamel flow are expected and valued by collectors.

The Ref. 5231G has been in production since 2019, superseding the earlier Ref. 5230. Pérez's choice reflects both his status within F1's elite driver cohort and Patek Philippe's longstanding association with motorsport patronage. Previous iterations of the World Timer have been favoured by collectors and professional pilots alike; the addition of enamel dials elevated the reference into genuine collectible territory.

Retail pricing for a standard Ref. 5231G in white gold hovers near $80,000 USD, though enamel dial variants command significant premiums on the secondary market—typically $120,000 to $160,000 depending on condition and regional specificity. Waitlists through official Patek Philippe boutiques remain substantial, and grey-market acquisition often represents the only practical acquisition path for collectors outside established client relationships.