Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Steven Zhang spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Steven Zhang, chairman of Serie A club F.C. Internazionale Milano and son of Suning Holdings founder Zhang Jindong, was recently photographed wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar in white gold — reference 5740G. The sighting places one of the most technically ambitious sports watches ever produced squarely on the wrist of one of football's highest-profile young executives.

Introduced in 2018, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5740G broke new ground as the first Grand Complication to join the Nautilus family. At its heart beats calibre 240 Q, a self-winding movement measuring just 3.28mm in height thanks to its off-centre micro-rotor — a Patek hallmark since 1977. The perpetual calendar displays date, day, month, four-digit year, and moon phase, all through an instantaneous jump mechanism that switches at midnight. The white gold case measures 40mm and retains the horizontally embossed dial, integrated bracelet, and octagonal bezel that have defined the Nautilus aesthetic for nearly five decades.

The 5740G carries collector significance that extends well beyond its complication count. It is, as noted, the sole Nautilus complication available exclusively in a precious metal — no steel option exists, and none has been announced. This deliberate positioning keeps the reference anchored firmly in grand complication territory rather than the accessible sport-luxury space the standard 5711 occupied. Production numbers are extremely limited, and Patek Philippe has never disclosed annual output figures for the reference, which only deepens secondary-market interest.

For Zhang, whose public persona blends youthful ambition with the pressures of running a storied European football club, the 5740G is a coherent choice. It signals familiarity with watchmaking at its most serious without resorting to obvious status symbols. The perpetual calendar complication, which accounts for the Gregorian calendar's irregularities mechanically rather than electronically, rewards an owner who actually understands what is happening beneath the dial.

On the grey market, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G consistently trades well above its already substantial retail price, reflecting both genuine scarcity and enduring demand for the Nautilus name at the grand complication level. Retail stands at approximately $82,000 USD, while grey-market transactions regularly clear $150,000 and beyond — a premium that shows no sign of compressing as long as waiting lists remain closed.