Footballer Lionel Messi spotted wearing a Patek Philippe

Lionel Messi was photographed this weekend in the company of his Argentine national team colleagues, and as ever the football icon's wrist was worth a second look. On it sat a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1R in 18k rose gold — one of the more technically complete expressions of a lineage that has defined luxury sports watchmaking for nearly five decades.

The Nautilus 5712/1R is powered by Patek Philippe's Calibre 240 PS IRM C LU, a micro-rotor automatic movement measuring just 3.88mm thick. Beyond the hours, minutes and seconds, it delivers a power-reserve indicator, an instantaneous date display and that celebrated moonphase — one engineered to require correction only once every 122 years. The 40mm rose gold case carries the unmistakable horizontally embossed dial in a warm chocolate-brown tone, secured by an integrated rose gold bracelet. Water resistance is rated to 120 metres, a nod to the Nautilus's original brief as a tool watch for the well-travelled.

First introduced in 2006, the 5712 series occupies a particular position in the Nautilus catalogue as the reference that successfully grafted complications onto Genta's original 1976 architecture without compromising its sporting proportions. The rose gold variant — the 5712/1R — is generally regarded by collectors as the most aesthetically harmonious execution, the warm metal complementing the dial colour in a way the stainless steel version, however desirable, cannot quite replicate.

Messi's relationship with high horology is well documented. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has been spotted across multiple Patek Philippe references, and his preference for the Geneva manufacture tracks with a broader pattern among elite athletes who treat fine watches as considered investments rather than impulse purchases. Wearing the 5712/1R during an international break carries its own symbolism — a moment of celebration matched by a watch built for quiet permanence.

On the market, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1R lists at approximately $81,500, though grey-market trading places current values closer to $220,000 — a premium of roughly 170 percent. That gap reflects persistent demand against extremely limited production allocations, and shows no meaningful sign of contracting.