Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Pep Guardiola spotted wearing Chopard

Pep Guardiola was photographed at a press conference — believed to be timed around the announcement of his appointment as Manchester City FC manager for the 2016/17 season — wearing a watch that tells his own story as much as it tells the time. On his wrist sat the Chopard 1000 Miglia GT XL Speed Black 'FC Barcelona Tricampeones' edition, a piece limited to just 50 examples and created in direct collaboration with the Catalan club to celebrate three consecutive Spanish league championships.

The 1000 Miglia GT XL Speed Black is built around a 44mm DLC-treated stainless steel case, giving it an aggressive, monochromatic presence that suits its motorsport DNA. The dial is pure racing chronograph: a tachymeter bezel, twin subdials for elapsed seconds and minutes, and a date window at 3 o'clock — all rendered in black-on-black with white luminous indices. Power comes from the Chopard Calibre 03.05-M, a column-wheel chronograph movement with a 42-hour power reserve, beating at 28,800 vph. The rubber strap — textured in a hexagonal tread pattern referencing race tyres — is one of the watch's most distinctive design signatures.

What elevates this particular reference above the standard GT XL Speed Black is its provenance. The dial carries the 'FC Barcelona Tricampeones' inscription, and the edition was capped at 50 pieces, making it among the rarest production watches Chopard has issued under its 1000 Miglia umbrella. It sits at the intersection of haute horlogerie, motorsport heritage, and football culture — a collector crossover that rarely lands this cleanly.

For Guardiola, the symbolism is unmistakable. He managed Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, delivering back-to-back-to-back La Liga titles alongside two Champions League trophies. Wearing a watch built to commemorate those exact campaigns speaks to a rare emotional attachment between owner and object — this is not a piece bought off a retailer's shelf, but almost certainly a gift or club commission tied directly to his era.

On the secondary market, examples of the FC Barcelona Tricampeones edition surface rarely, given the 50-piece ceiling. Grey-market pricing, when available, trends meaningfully above the original retail of approximately $10,500 USD, with collectors of both Chopard and Barcelona memorabilia competing for the same scarce inventory.