Footballer Paul Pogba spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Paul Pogba, then at Manchester United, was photographed wearing what may be the single most opulent steel-adjacent Nautilus money can buy — the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5719/10G, an 18K white gold reference smothered in factory-set diamonds from bezel to bracelet.

The 5719/10G represents the apex of Patek's gem-setting ambition applied to the Nautilus line. The 40mm white gold case houses the manufacture's Caliber 324 S C, a self-winding movement beating at 28,800 vph with a 45-hour power reserve, offering a date display at 3 o'clock. What distinguishes this reference is not the movement — competent and reliable as it is — but the extraordinary gem work. Baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds cover the bezel, are pavé-set across the entire dial surface, and continue along the integrated bracelet links. Total stone count runs into the hundreds, each individually assessed and matched for clarity and colour consistency by Patek's in-house gem-setters in Geneva.

The Nautilus family, designed by Gérald Genta and launched in 1976, was conceived as a luxury sports watch in an era when stainless steel dominated the genre. The 5719 takes that philosophy and inverts it entirely, producing something closer to high jewellery than sports watch — yet retaining the iconic porthole bezel, horizontal embossed dial, and integrated bracelet that define the lineage. Among collectors, the fully-paved references occupy a specific niche: they are not universally loved by purists who prefer the clean dial of the 5711 or 5726, but they command exceptional resale values and attract a different, fashion-conscious buyer.

Pogba has long been one of football's most watched wrists, maintaining a collection that spans Richard Mille, Rolex, and Audemars Piguet alongside Patek Philippe. The 5719/10G suits his aesthetic precisely — it is statement jewellery that happens to tell the time, worn by someone with both the resources and the appetite for it.

At £343,000 UK list price — translating to approximately $430,000 at current exchange rates — the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5719/10G sits well above the grey market premiums that plague its steel siblings. On the secondary market, examples trade close to or occasionally above retail, given their limited production and the labour-intensive nature of the gem-setting process.