Any watch collector who has watched the market in any depth is familiar with the gradual price increases happening throughout the industry. For years, brands have been slowly raising the retail prices of luxury timepieces at a rate that far outstrips inflation, making already exclusive watches even more costly. One of the prime examples of this in recent years is Rolex, which has steadily moved its product line further upmarket over time. The Swiss giant continued this trend for 2020, quietly increasing retail prices across the globe on January 1. Here in the United States, prices have increased by three to six percent on average, with Oystersteel models such as the 41mm DateJust seeing the sharpest increases and more modest rises for precious metal examples. This seems to indicate that these price jumps are not a reaction to the increasing cost of gold or platinum but a deliberate re-positioning of these watches in the marketplace. For a more in-depth look at the new prices and selected increases, review the list below.
- DateJust 41mm ref. 126300 in Oystersteel: $7,900 (6.0% increase over 2019)
- Submariner No Date ref. 114060 in Oystersteel: $7,900 (5.3% increase over 2019)
- GMT-Master II BLNR ref. 126710BLNR in Oystersteel: $9,700 (4.9% increase over 2019)
- Day-Date 40mm ref. 228239 in 18ct White Gold: $39,250 (4.5% increase over 2019)
- Yacht-Master 40mm ref. 126655 in Everose Gold: $27,300 (4.2% increase over 2019)
- Air-King ref. 116900 in Oystersteel: $6,450 (4.0% increase over 2019)
- Sea-Dweller 43mm ref. 126603 in Oystersteel and Yellow Gold: $16,600 (3.4% increase over 2019)
- Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116519LN in 18ct White Gold: $29,700 (3.1% increase over 2019)
- Explorer II White Dial ref. 216570 in Oystersteel: $8,350
- Explorer ref. 214270 in Oystersteel: $6,550
- Sky-Dweller ref. 326935 in Everose: $49,450
- Oyster Perpetual 39mm ref. 114300 in Oystersteel: $5,700
- Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116500LN in Oystersteel: $13,150
- Milgauss ref. 116400GV in Oystersteel: $8,300
- Submariner Date ref. 116618LB in Yellow Gold: $35,750
These numbers seem to show that Rolex is taking 2020 as an opportunity to continue its strategy of creating a more premium image, and with continuing strong sales numbers relative to its main competitors, it seems unlikely that these price increases will slow that strategy down. For more information on these higher prices for 2020, please visit the brand’s website.