Following his high profile move to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) after a staggering 21 years at Barcelona, it seems that Lionel Messi’s star is still very much in the ascendancy as last night he was announced as the winner of the 2021 Ballon d’Or. For those of you who, like myself, don’t follow football (real football, sorry America) the Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious annual award given to the top performing male and female players as voted by the magazine French Football. Alongside the prize win, Lionel Messi was gifted a wristwatch, a unique Purnell Escape Ballon d’Or Tourbillon watch, which is worth a closer look.

A further reference to the award can be seen on the two barrel covers which have custom engravings in French. On the left, it acknowledges the recipient of the prize – the fact Lionel Messi was gifted the wristwatch – and on the right, it celebrates the history of the award and Purnell. Other than the engraving, the top half of the dial remains the same as the base Escape II with hours, minutes and a power reserve indicator. Its 18k rose gold case is also the same dimensions as the base model with a diameter of 48mm, definitely large but necessary to house the tourbillon.

Housed inside is the haute horological movement calibre P10 with insane dimensions of 38 x 14.4mm, which means there is simply no room for a rotor and it’s manually wound. Although, its 50-hour power reserve means you won’t be constantly winding it. And of course, it’s equipped with the Ballon d’Or tourbillon helping to maintain accuracy.