Run for luxury watches: Why Rolex & Co. make investors' hearts beat faster
Influencers, rappers, top athletes: Many stars and starlets wear luxury watches on their wrists. That is why expensive timepieces have gone from being stuffy accessories to absolute must-have items and passion investments in recent years. In particular, classics such as Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet are very popular and have achieved enormous increases in value in some cases. But what is behind this boom and does an investment in luxury watches now “pay off” for investors?
Limited quantities meet huge demand
Following the production bottlenecks caused by the corona pandemic, prices for luxury watches rose significantly in subsequent years. In addition, deliberately limited production and high demand have created distorted supply relationships — which drives prices
At the same time, there was a rapidly growing secondary market: According to an HRI study, second-hand luxury watches accounted for around 24 billion dollars in 2023, including a young group of buyers under the age of 30. Such passionate buyers deliberately invest in iconic pieces — such as the Rolex Daytona or Patek Nautilus.
The year 2024, on the other hand, was not a highlight for the watch industry. Among other things, due to macroeconomic uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and increasingly fluctuating demand in important sales markets such as the USA, Europe and, above all, China. This assessment is in line with the official Export statistics from the Swiss Watch Industry Association (FHS): In 2024, exports of Swiss watches fell by around three percent. There was also an increasing polarization in the industry. While some brands came under pressure and had to accept significant declines in sales, the major players held their ground at the top and continued to expand their market shares.
Rolex dominates the secondary market
Above all Rolex shone: The Swiss icon remains the undisputed market leader and defies difficult conditions with consistently strong performance — especially on the secondary market. The estimated turnover in 2024 rose to over 10.5 billion CHF, which represented an increase of around 500 million CHF compared to the previous year.
This dominance applies both in the primary and secondary markets, such as a Current analysis from Chrono24, the world's leading online marketplace for luxury watches, shows. Based on transaction data between the first quarter of 2020 and the last quarter of 2024, Rolex accounted for an impressive 34.2 percent of global trade volume — a market share that significantly outstrips the competition. By way of comparison, the brands Omega, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Breitling and IWC together only account for 32.6 percent. Especially during the pandemic, Rolex climbed to a historic high of 43.9 percent in the secondary market — fuelled by increased demand for inflation-proof tangible assets in a low interest rate environment. Although market share has returned to normal slightly since then, Rolex remains one of the most stable and sought-after investments in the luxury segment.
Audemars Piguet also stands out in the five-year evaluation of Chrono24: The brand's models recorded an average increase in value of an impressive 64.85 percent. The Swiss watch manufacturer thus surpasses both the leading German index DAX (up 54 percent) and the share price of luxury goods group LVMH (55 percent).
2025: boom year for passion investments
In 2025, the overall market for fine timepieces will be on the upswing again. A current engine of the boom is recent price increase in the USA: Swiss luxury brands — especially Rolex — have raised retail prices by up to 20 percent to offset, among other things, increased tariffs and costs. For example, due to the high price of gold. In 2024 alone, the price of the precious metal rose by 27 percent — more than it had been in 14 years. The price increases for golden Rolex models are therefore more significant than in previous years. Steel watches, on the other hand, rose only slightly: A steel Cosmograph Daytona, for example, now costs around 16,000 euros, compared to 15,500 euros in 2024.
The current signal to the market is therefore: Demand remains high — both for new goods and for the secondary market. This is because the higher list prices of many luxury watches also indirectly support used timepieces, because collectors have to pay more, which strengthens their value retention.
Sales in the luxury watches market are therefore expected to amount to around 58.06 billion euros in 2025. According to a current forecast, a market volume of 70.23 billion euros will even be reached in 2030, which would correspond to annual sales growth of 3.82 percent (CAGR 2025-2030).
What investors should pay attention to when it comes to luxury watches
Luxury watches are therefore much more than mere timepieces and have established themselves as passion investments for the reasons mentioned above. Because they offer emotional added value, prestige and represent an attractive addition to the portfolio. But not every watch is automatically suitable as a high-yield investment. Investors should therefore choose carefully and consider some key aspects.
For example, the targeted selection of the brand and model is decisive. Especially renowned manufacturers such as Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet are considered stable in value and sought after. Within these brands, it is primarily limited editions, special models or rare vintage pieces that perform above average on the secondary market.
The condition and origin of the watch are just as important as the brand. A well-maintained watch with original papers, a complete maintenance history and verifiable provenance is significantly better in value than a neglected or incomplete model. Investors who do not have in-depth expertise should therefore better focus on specialized platforms such as FINEXITY support. Here, investors can purchase digital shares of curated luxury watches starting at just 500 euros and thus benefit from attractive return opportunities.
