After leading Spain to victory in the World Cup, Luis de la Fuente has been named Best Men’s Coach of the Year at the 2026 Ballon d’Or. There was no doubt about it: the Spanish national team coach has been the perfect example of leadership this season, an achievement that soccer experts have been quick to celebrate at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony. De la Fuente accepted his award on stage at the London Palladium, the first venue outside of Paris to host soccer’s most prestigious awards.

We already know that the stars of the beautiful game are naturally fashion-conscious, but in addition to teaming up with the top fashion houses to wear the most spectacular outfit of the night, where they really go all out is when it comes to watches. The prices of the watches on display last Monday exceeded, in some cases, one million pounds – here's looking at you, Harry Kane. Our favourite stars spared no expense when it came to what they wore on their wrists. Luis de la Fuente, for his part, spared no expense when it came to history.

Luis de la Fuente wore a 1981 IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moonphase (ref. 5251), meticulously restored to capture the essence of its original form. It is a historic piece that forms part of what the watchmaker has called IWC. Curated., a selection of watches chosen by experts from the IWC Museum who specialise in the manufactory’s vintage pieces. They have conducted an exhaustive search for the most representative models in the brand’s watchmaking history – the references that have defined each of its distinct eras – and subjected them to a meticulous process of inspection, restoration, and maintenance. Their goal is to restore each piece to a condition as close as possible to the original. In other words, whenever possible, they are restored using authentic components from the period in which they were manufactured. These historic watches are available only at select IWC boutiques and, now, on the wrist of the Coach of the Year.

Luis de la Fuente’s IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moonphase also embodies the most sophisticated classic elegance. It possesses the timeless quality of well-crafted timepieces, which is why its design remains timeless even nearly fifty years later. This may be due to its 46-mm 18-karat yellow gold case, inspired by pocket watches. It is a hallmark of IWC watches from the late 1970s and is clearly evident in this historic timepiece. It is evident in its slender Breguet-style hands, the stylised Roman numeral hour markers, and the elegant moon phase display at 3 o’clock, opposite the small seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock.

Luis de la Fuente wore his historic IWC snugly on his wrist with a black leather strap, ensuring it wouldn’t budge a millimetre as he raised his award. Its price tag pales in comparison to the millions that other watches worn that night were valued at, but none came close to the history and elegance of the one Luis de la Fuente was wearing.