Gianluca Lapadula — watch collection

About Gianluca Lapadula’s watch collection

Gianluca Lapadula is a professional footballer of Italian-Peruvian heritage who has built a career across some of Europe's most competitive leagues. Born in Turin in 1990, he came through the Italian football pyramid before making his name at AC Milan, where he scored on his Serie A debut — a moment that announced him as a striker worth watching. He has since represented clubs including Genoa, Benevento, and Cagliari in Italy, and later moved to Ligue 1 side Stade Brestois. Internationally, Lapadula chose to represent Peru, qualifying through his mother's heritage, and quickly became one of the Peruvian national team's most important attacking players, featuring in Copa América campaigns and World Cup qualification cycles. His profile in South America in particular is considerable, making him a recognizable figure both on and off the pitch.

The Gianluca Lapadula watch collection, based on confirmed sightings, points toward a preference for classic, well-constructed pieces with strong design heritage. The standout confirmed sighting shows Lapadula wearing a Cartier Santos de Cartier Large in 18k yellow gold, reference WGSA0009, photographed outdoors against what appears to be a marina setting. The Santos de Cartier is one of the oldest purpose-designed sport watches in history, first created in 1904 for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. The large yellow gold version is a substantial, deliberate choice — its warm tone and integrated bracelet make it immediately recognizable, and the reference WGSA0009 sits at the upper end of the Santos range in terms of materials and price.

Choosing an all-yellow-gold Santos rather than a steel or two-tone configuration signals a comfort with wearing precious metal in casual contexts, which fits the relaxed outdoor setting of the sighting. It is not a sports watch in the conventional sense — there is no diver's bezel or chronograph — but the Santos has always occupied its own category: dressed-up enough for formal occasions, robust enough for daily wear. For a footballer with a profile spanning two continents, it is a considered, low-key choice from one of watchmaking's most storied houses.