Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Karim Benzema spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Karim Benzema, the French striker who spent the peak years of his career defining Real Madrid's attacking play, was spotted wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph in stainless steel — reference 5980/1A-001 — a watch that holds a specific and well-earned place in the modern collector canon.

The 5980/1A-001 is built around the calibre CH 28-520 C, a self-winding lateral-clutch column-wheel chronograph movement that Patek Philippe developed in-house and introduced with this reference in 2006. The movement beats at 28,800 vph, offers a power reserve of approximately 45 to 55 hours, and features a flyback function — allowing the chronograph to be reset and restarted in a single push rather than the conventional three-step sequence. The case measures 40.5mm across in 316L stainless steel, water-resistant to 120 metres, and retains the horizontally embossed blue-grey dial and integrated bracelet that Gerald Genta first sketched for the Nautilus in 1976. The 5980 adds twin pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock, a 60-minute totaliser at 6, and running seconds at 9, without disturbing the clean architecture Genta intended.

Among collectors, the 5980/1A occupies a specific tier: it is the entry point into Nautilus complications, yet technically it is anything but entry-level. A flyback chronograph with a lateral clutch in a 40mm integrated steel sports case remains a genuine engineering proposition, not a styling exercise. The reference was discontinued as Patek Philippe rationalised the Nautilus line, which has only strengthened its desirability on the secondary market.

Benzema's personal taste in watches has consistently skewed toward serious horology rather than ostentatious statement pieces, and the 5980/1A fits that profile precisely. It reads as a sport watch in casual context but carries the mechanical credentials to satisfy a technically minded collector.

At retail the 5980/1A-001 carried a list price in the region of $55,000 USD before its discontinuation. On the grey market, demand for discontinued steel Nautilus references has pushed values considerably higher, with the 5980/1A regularly trading between $90,000 and $120,000 depending on condition and provenance — a substantial premium that reflects both the complication and the scarcity of available examples.