Watch Paparazzi

Football manager Frank Lampard spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Frank Lampard, one of English football's most decorated midfielders and a man who built a reputation for precision on the pitch, was photographed wearing one of modern watchmaking's most technically demanding wrist pieces: the Patek Philippe Multi-Scale Chronograph Reference 5975P. The sighting dates to his playing days with New York City FC, but the watch itself tells a story that outlasts any season.

Patek Philippe released the 5975P in 2014 as a centrepiece of the manufacture's 175th anniversary celebrations. Limited to exactly 100 examples worldwide, the reference was crafted entirely in platinum and featured a deep, midnight-blue dial carrying three independent measurement scales — tachymeter, telemeter, and pulsimeter — arranged concentrically without visual chaos. That feat of dial architecture alone required months of development. The 40.5mm case houses calibre CHR 29-535 PS, a manually wound movement that represented a landmark moment for Patek: it was the first laterally clutched chronograph mechanism developed entirely in-house by the Geneva manufacture, replacing decades of reliance on ébauche suppliers.

For collectors, the 5975P occupies a specific and highly regarded niche. Anniversary references from Patek Philippe — particularly those produced in triple-digit or lower quantities — hold their value with unusual tenacity. The multi-scale complication itself has a distinguished lineage stretching back to the brand's early 20th-century pocket watches, and the 5975P reinterprets that heritage through a contemporary movement architecture. The platinum case adds a further layer of desirability, lending the watch a cool, dense presence on the wrist that gold simply cannot replicate.

Lampard has long been known among watch enthusiasts as a serious collector rather than a casual buyer. His choice of the 5975P suggests an understanding of horological history, not merely a preference for a prestigious name. Few players — or managers — wear a piece this restrained and this significant simultaneously.

On the secondary market, examples of the Patek Philippe 5975P command significant premiums over the original retail price, reflecting both the 100-piece limitation and the movement's historical importance. With a UK RRP of approximately £51,000 at the time of release, grey-market valuations have consistently exceeded that figure, with well-documented examples trading in the $120,000–$160,000 range depending on provenance and condition.