If you’ve been thinking about buying a Rolex lately, we may have some relatively good news for you.
For most of this last decade, the experience has involved waiting lists, awkward conversations with authorised dealers and secondary-market prices that are diametrically at odds with the phase “second-hand bargain”.
But now the wider watch market is shifting.
Swiss watch exports fell again at the start of 2026, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, continuing a slowdown that began last year.
Fewer watches are being shipped globally, particularly from those brands that sit in the mid-market, as demand in China cools and the post-pandemic boom settles down.
Rolex, however, sits in a different lane from the whole of the rest of the industry.
Estimates from Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult suggest the brand generated roughly CHF 11bn in wholesale sales in 2025, making it comfortably the largest watchmaker in Switzerland.
The interesting detail is that volumes edged down while prices continued to rise – a reminder that Rolex’s strategy is not to flood the market with watches but to control supply carefully.
For buyers, that produces a subtle but useful shift.
The hardest models remain the usual suspects: the Cosmograph Daytona, the GMT-Master II “Pepsi”, and steel Submariners.
Rolex..
Those watches still attract waiting lists and strong resale prices.
Where the market has softened slightly is elsewhere in the catalogue.
Datejusts, Explorers and Oyster Perpetuals – watches that collectors once sidelined to chase sport models – have become easier to find and sometimes trade closer to retail on the secondary market.
For buyers willing to look beyond the hype models, the numbers are now more encouraging. On the secondary market, Datejusts, Explorers and Oyster Perpetuals often trade at virtually the same as retail or even slightly below it, depending on configuration and condition.
A modern Rolex Explorer 36mm, which retails at roughly £6,700, can frequently be found for £5,800–£6,200 from reputable dealers.
Oyster Perpetuals in simpler dial colours tend to sit close to their £5,500 retail price, sometimes dipping a few hundred pounds lower.
And while the classic Datejust 41 starts at around £8,000 new, pre-owned examples regularly appear £1,000 or more under shop price.
Platforms such as Subdial, Chrono24 and authorised retailers with pre-owned departments now make it far easier to compare prices – a very different landscape from the frantic grey-market premiums of the early-2020s boom.
In other words, Rolex itself has not become easy to buy. But the frenzy around it has cooled slightly.
If you are thinking about finally pulling the trigger, 2026 may be the closest the market has come to normal in years.
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