Selected Rolex References: Real Auction Prices, Returns and Comparison With Major Asset Classes

Rolex watches as an investment. The figures rest on 470 recorded sales of five selected references from public auction archives.

Auction results, not the dealer market. These are hammer prices from international auction houses, including the buyer's premium. Most watch trading takes place through dealers and online platforms and is not covered here. Auctions also tend to feature higher-quality examples. Every dot in the chart is a price actually paid at auction, not an estimate or asking price.

Rolex vs. the Markets

Actual auction prices for selected Rolex references compared with the S&P 500, MSCI World, Bitcoin and gold. All series are indexed to 100 as of July 11, 2024, and shown on a logarithmic scale.

Period Jul 11, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025. Positions are picked by the number of recorded sales, not by return. Prices are hammer prices including the buyer's premium; seller's commission, taxes and holding costs are not deducted. All references in detail

Data note 1

Price Index for This Asset Class

No index is computed for this class, deliberately. The same reference number, but condition, original parts, papers and service history differ considerably. Weaker than with cars, but the same problem at heart.

Data note 2

Rolex Submariner 5513 · 1962–1989

$179,000 last recorded sale · May 2026

70 recorded sales9 years

Past 12 months: 5 sales · $13,800 to $179,000 · median $27,700

1 year -15.8%
3 years -38.0%-14.7% a year
since start -25.6%-3.6% a year

Last 10 Sales of 70 Recorded

Most recent recorded sales
MonthPrice
May 2026$179,000
Mar 2026$13,800
Dec 2025$57,200
Nov 2025$21,200
Nov 2025$27,700
May 2025$26,100
May 2025$153,000
Apr 2025$14,000
Mar 2025$13,800
Dec 2024$10,200

Rolex GMT-Master 1675 · 1959–1980

$21,600 last recorded sale · Oct 2026

145 recorded sales17 quarters

Past 12 months: 5 sales · $21,600 to $35,600 · median $29,300

1 year -52.1%
3 years -42.2%-16.7% a year
since start -28.3%-8.0% a year

Last 10 Sales of 145 Recorded

Most recent recorded sales
MonthPrice
Oct 2026$21,600
Sep 2026$26,100
May 2026$31,200
Mar 2026$29,300
Dec 2025$35,600
Oct 2025$38,100
Sep 2025$15,500
May 2025$16,300
May 2025$26,100
May 2025$37,400

Rolex Explorer 1016 · 1963–1989

$11,400 last recorded sale · May 2026

27 recorded sales3 years

Past 12 months: 1 sale · $11,400

1 year -0.2%
since start +23.5%+11.1% a year

Last 10 Sales of 27 Recorded

Most recent recorded sales
MonthPrice
May 2026$11,400
Nov 2024$68,400
May 2023$114,000
Dec 2022$22,700
Jun 2022$18,900
May 2022$17,800
May 2022$38,800
Nov 2021$19,400
Nov 2021$24,400
Nov 2020$24,400

Rolex Daytona 6263/6265 · 1969–1987

$82,100 last recorded sale · May 2026

161 recorded sales17 quarters

Past 12 months: 2 sales · $73,900 and $82,100

1 year -18.7%
3 years -20.9%-7.5% a year
since start -1.9%-0.5% a year

Last 10 Sales of 161 Recorded

Most recent recorded sales
MonthPrice
May 2026$82,100
May 2026$73,900
Nov 2025$229,000
Nov 2025$111,000
Jun 2025$216,000
May 2025$138,000
May 2025$64,500
May 2025$76,700
May 2025$184,000
May 2025$307,000

Rolex Daytona 116520 · 2000–2016

$24,400 last recorded sale · Sep 2026

67 recorded sales9 years

Past 12 months: 8 sales · $21,100 to $65,100 · median $30,600

1 year -27.1%
3 years -20.3%-7.3% a year
since start -35.2%-5.3% a year

Last 10 Sales of 67 Recorded

Most recent recorded sales
MonthPrice
Sep 2026$24,400
Jun 2026$25,400
May 2026$52,100
May 2026$35,800
May 2026$22,800
Mar 2026$21,100
Nov 2025$39,100
Nov 2025$65,100
Sep 2025$29,300
Mar 2025$21,200

Data note 1

Updated