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You’re doing something right if you find yourself in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon. That’s where Michael Carrick popped up last Saturday, a day traditionally reserved for the creme de la creme of British sporting talent, as he stood and waved to the cheering crowds. He has, after all, had a pretty good 2026 so far, taking the Red Devils from being a bang average midtable team to Champions League football again.
While the World Cup has been grabbing most of the football headlines recently, Carrick et al are subject to a fair bit of juicy transfer gossip at the moment. Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott are two rumours that won’t go away. But as speculation continues to mount, we can confirm an altogether different type of new addition that Carrick has secured – a new watch to his own personal squad of grail worthy pieces.
Over the course of the last season, we have spotted Carrick alternating between a pretty bling Richard Mille and a rather special Rolex Daytona, but this latest flex at Wimbledon really outs Carrick as a proper watch head. The watch in question is a Girard-Perregaux Laureato – a model we put firmly in the IYKYK category – but it’s not one of the latest releases from the 50th anniversary celebrations; rather it’s a 40mm 18kt white gold tourbillon from circa 1998 with a skeletonised dial displaying three very striking 18k pink gold bridges.
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"What is especially interesting is that Michael Carrick isn't wearing one of our latest releases, but an earlier Laureato Three Gold Bridges from around 20 years ago,” says Marc Michel-Amadry, MD of Girard-Perregaux. “It illustrates something that has always characterised the Laureato: whatever the generation, it remains a cultured choice. Its value has never been defined by the year it was produced, but by the enduring integrity of the original idea.”
We can’t confirm the source of Carrick’s latest piece but we have to assume it was acquired from an auction house or some stellar secondhand watch dealership up in Manchester. Subdial’s Christy Davis has clearly been watching too much of the World Cup but nevertheless he has some thoughts on Carrick’s watch: “I’d like to think Michael Carrick intentionally chose this week to wear the high-horology equivalent of three lions on the shirt: three golden bridges on the watch,” he says. “Maybe I've spent too much time looking at watches, but the similarity between this Laureato and England's badge is uncanny to me. Girard-Perregaux is a brand for someone who's thought about their watch choice, and whilst some collectors might scoff at a tourbillon as a pointless complication, it's difficult to say this one isn't particularly beautiful. Thumbs up from the watch nerds. Let's hope the golden colour is prophetic,” he adds, crossing his fingers for England.
As so many people have done this season, we have to hold up our hands to Carrick here: footballers rarely show any semblance of originality when it comes to buying watches. “Patek Nautilus or Aquanaut, Rolex Datejust or Daytona, Hublot Big Bang or a Richard Mille, please” said every footballer to their AD, but not Carrick. Given what we know about the man, form is temporary but class is permanent – and the same applies to the Laureato within the watch world.
"The Laureato has long been appreciated by collectors and connoisseurs,” says Michel-Amadry. “What we are seeing today is a broader recognition of qualities that have always been there. Over the past years, our role has simply been to reveal more clearly what makes the Laureato unique: its coherent architecture, pure Haute Horlogerie watchmaking, in-house movements only and an enduring identity. The recently introduced Laureato Fifty collection is perhaps the clearest expression of that work, celebrating what has always defined the Laureato rather than reinventing it. It is encouraging to see that this is now resonating with an increasingly diverse audience.”
Take another bow, Michael Carrick – but this time for your watch not because you’re in the Royal Box and have to.