Lionel Messi enjoys a nice spectacle.
The Argentine forward is renowned for possessing one of the best collections in the game, along with rival footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair, who are frequently compared on and off the field, recently set aside their conflict for a well-known Louis Vuitton advertisement. Therefore, it makes total sense that Messi would wear one of his exquisite Patek Philippe clocks to a news conference for the FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar this year.
Messi wore a Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5740/1G in 18-carat white gold to the interview. Messi’s model, which retails for $145,480, is yet another variation of the Nautilus that has increased in value with a current worth of $265,000 on the secondary market, despite not being an iteration of the highly sought-after 5711. The Ref. 5740/1G, which included a perpetual calendar and a moon phase indicator powered by the incredibly thin, self-winding caliber 240 Q movement, was the first grand complication to come in the Nautilus collection.
Messi’s collection of watches from the Swiss manufacturer doesn’t just include the Ref. 5740/1G. Additionally, he has an 18-karat white gold Aquanaut Chronograph Ref. 5968G-001, an 18-karat rose gold Nautilus Flyback Chronograph Ref. 5980/1R, and a special version of the well-known 5711, a stainless steel Ref. 5711/1A-001 with a white “piano” dial.
Messi wears watches largely from Audemars Piguet and Rolex, in addition to Patek. The football player and AP collaborated on a limited-edition watch in 2012 called the Royal Oak Leo Messi Chronograph, which was based on the 42 mm Royal Oak Chrono that had been unveiled at SIHH earlier in the year. The model was offered in three varieties, each with a 500-piece restriction in steel, a 400-piece limit in rose gold, and a 100-piece limit in platinum.
The forward is a huge Rolex enthusiast, and his collection includes watches like the Daytona Panda Ref. 116500LN, the Datejust 36 Ref. 126231, the unusual Oyster Perpetual Yellow Dial Ref. 124300, and the Submariner Date Ref. 116659SABR. Messi made headlines just a year ago when he signed a $80 million contract with Paris Saint-Germain after 21 years with FC Barcelona while donning a rose-gold Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master Ref. 126655. The icon was most recently seen wearing a platinum Day-Date Ref. 228206 with a blue dial when traveling to Qatar for the World Cup and representing Argentina.