Anant Ambani, son of billionaire and India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani, reportedly gifted Lionel Messi a rare $1.2 million Richard Mille watch during the soccer star’s recent visit to India while sporting a $5 million piece of his own.
Lionel Messi greets fans on Dec. 15, 2025 in New Delhi, India.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Key Facts
Messi, who ranked second on Forbes’ list of highest-paid soccer stars this year, while on a visit to India earlier this week visited the Vantara, a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre founded by Ambani, son of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.
While there, Ambani reportedly gifted Messi a one-of-12 Richard Mille RM 003 Asia Boutique, one of the rarest-ever pieces from the brand, worth upwards of $1.2 million.
Messi, who has one of the most expensive watch collections of any soccer star, was photographed entering Vantara without a watch on his wrist and leaving wearing the rare tourbillon, which has a carbon black and gray bezel with white skeletonized hands and glass made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
Photos of Messi and Ambani from the event show the latter was wearing an even rarer Richard Mille piece: the RM 056 Sapphire Tourbillon.
That watch was custom built for Ambani in an orange hue and is expected to be valued at around $5 million (other sapphire tourbillons from the brand have sold for as much as $4.5 million at auction).n
Richard Mille RM 003 Asia Boutique.
Wrist Aficionado
Surprising Fact
Ambani wore the same ultra-rare sapphire Richard Mille to accept the Global Humanitarian Award for Animal Welfare from the Global Humane Society on Dec. 8 in Washington D.C. He made history as the first Asian to ever win the award.
Key Background
Both Messi and Ambani are well-documented watch aficionados. Ambani’s collection includes a $9 million Patek Philippe Aquanaut ‘Haute Joaillerie’ set with rainbow gemstones and diamonds; a $3.6 million Patek Philippe Grand Complications Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater with diamonds and sapphires and a one-of-36 Richard Mille Dragon & Phoenix in rose gold with a diamond bezel valued at roughly $5 million. Messi’s collection is notable for its extensive number of iconic Rolex watches, including the rare and off-catalogue “Barbie” Daytona worth an estimated $2 million. Messi has also been seen wearing the ultra-rare “Tiffany Blue” Patek Philippe Nautilus, worth upwards of $1.6 million.
Tangent
All eyes were on Anant Ambani last year as he married Radhika Merchant in a wedding in India the New York Times said “introduced the world to the country’s Gilded Age.” The couple’s wedding invitations were made of silver and gold and, four months before the actual wedding, billionaires (Bill Gates attended), Bollywood stars, politicians and other public figures were invited to a blow-out celebration that included a performance from Rihanna. The number of private jets that arrived to the pre-wedding function required the Indian air force to help manage air traffic in the small domestic airport of Jamnagar, the Times reported. The couple then threw a four-day party on a luxury ship in the Mediterranean and still weren’t technically married until two months after that.
Forbes Valuation
Mukesh Ambani is worth an estimated $112 billion as of Friday as the world’s 16th richest person. He runs Reliance Industries, the largest private sector corporation in India, with interests in oil and gas, retail, media and more. Anant, his youngest of three children, is on Reliance’s board and in the energy business.
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