Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Gini Wijnaldum spotted wearing Patek Philippe

The sighting happened within PSG's orbit, where the concentration of serious watch collectors among the playing staff is arguably higher than at most Swiss retailers. Gini Wijnaldum, the Dutch international midfielder, was photographed wearing a watch that turned out not to be his own — the 18K rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Reference 5990/1R, belonging to Italian playmaker Marco Verratti, a known and serious Patek collector.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990/1R is a remarkably complex machine dressed in Genta's unmistakable integrated-bracelet silhouette. The 40.5mm rose gold case houses Calibre CH 28-520 HU, a manufacture movement combining a flyback chronograph with a dual-time zone GMT complication — both relatively rare individually, genuinely unusual together. The blue gradient dial carries applied hour markers and luminescent hands, with subsidiary registers for the chronograph and a second time zone display at 6 o'clock. Water resistance is rated to 120 metres, consistent with the Nautilus's sporting DNA. Patek introduced this reference in 2010 and it remained in production until its discontinuation, which has only sharpened demand.

From a collector standpoint, the 5990 in rose gold occupies a specific tier within the Nautilus hierarchy. The stainless steel 5990/1A commands its own premium, but the rose gold variant carries a quieter, more traditional Patek sensibility while retaining every gram of technical substance. The combination of flyback chronograph and travel time in a 40mm integrated-bracelet sports watch is something Patek alone produces at this level of finishing, and the secondary market reflects that consensus without ambiguity.

Verratti's ownership of this piece is consistent with his documented taste for high-complications. That Wijnaldum was wearing it — whether borrowed for an evening or simply trying it on — speaks to the informal watch culture that exists in top-flight football dressing rooms, where pieces of this calibre are handled with conspicuous nonchalance.

The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5990/1R carried a list price of approximately $115,500. On the current grey market it trades at roughly $423,000, a premium exceeding 260% over retail — a figure that requires no editorial amplification.