Watch Paparazzi

Footballer Lionel Messi spotted wearing 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.