Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was spotted wearing one of the world’s rarest watches, valued over £1.1 million, during his team’s journey to Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.
Throughout his career as a manager, the Spaniard has been noted for his smart attire and sharp fashion sense, frequently patrolling the touchline in polo necks and designer brands.
Guardiola stepped boosted his style after coming in Madrid, one of the world’s major fashion capitals, by wearing one of the most expensive watches money can buy.
Guardiola wore a Richard Mille watch for the Champions League match at the Bernabeu, which was built exclusively for tennis champion Rafael Nadal.
Calibre RM27-01 is the official name of the manual winding tourbillon movement, which has an open design that shows the gears and hands inside.
+6View gallery
+6View gallery
Pep Guardiola was seen wearing a lucrative watch worth £1.1m during City’s clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday night
The watch also has yellow lines and dots to represent the minutes and hours, with a red tip on the hands indicating the time.
The 27-01 edition has broken the world record for the lightest mechanical watch of all time, weighing 18.83 grams including the strap and constructed with grade five titanium, aluminum, and lithium.
It is so uncommon that there are only 50 models in the world, with Guardiola and Nadal among the lucky recipients, so it’s not surprising that the watch costs more than £1 million.
The watch has four braided steel tension cables attached to the baseplate to preserve the movement of the hands while maintaining its lightweight design. According to Richard Mille, creating these wires is a ‘very delicate procedure’.
+6View gallery
Makers Richard Mille call the watch ‘a triumph of engineering and technology’
+6View gallery
It was specifically created for tennis superstar Rafael Nadal to give him comfort on court
+6View gallery
Guardiola oversaw an intriguing game between City and Madrid that ended 3–3 at the Bernabeu.
Richard Mille calls the invention of the watch ‘a triumph of engineering and technology’ and ‘one of the most innovative architectural constructions of recent years’ that has been crucial to Nadal’s performances at big tournaments thanks to its comfort when wearing it.
Guardiola was in the Spanish city to observe an entertaining first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals between Madrid and City, which ended 3-3.
Bernardo Silva scored after just two minutes with a free kick, but Ruben Dias’ own goal leveled the score. Rodrygo then flipped the game on its head, with Phil Foden’s fantastic strike from outside the box finding the top corner.
Josko Gvardiol then scored a stunning goal to make it 3-2 for City, but Federico Valverde had the final laugh with a spectacular volley to ensure the spoils were split heading into the second leg.