Second hand: Preowned Rolex

 

Three years ago, the Swiss brand launched an official certified preowned program. The program is expected to do more than $500 million in sales in 2025

So far, most luxury brands are wary of getting involved in reselling. They worry that offering used goods will undercut the appeal of buying new. They also dislike the transparency on resale websites, particularly if their goods sell for deep discounts secondhand. 

Consumers will pay 28% more on average for a preowned watch that has been certified genuine by Rolex than one that hasn’t

Certain models of Rolexes are already more expensive to buy used than new. 

Because demand far outstrips supply, there is a waiting list for the roughly 1.2 million new watches the company sells a year 

For example, one specific model of a brand-new Rolex GMT-Master II known as the Pepsi, costs $12,150 including average sales tax in stores. 

The watch costs $22,750 on resale websites, but the median price of one that has been certified authentic by Rolex is $26,750.

Trade in used Swiss watches will reach $25 billion this year

WSJ 26 December 2025

https://www.wsj.com/finance/rolex-watch-secondhand-market-3ddb113e