People have been telling me Rolex is “losing its grip.” The numbers tell a different story.
Chrono24 just dropped its 2026 Rolex Report, and it’s worth a real read, not just a headline. Yes, Rolex’s share of the secondary watch market has slid from a pandemic peak of 44% down to about 31% today. But that’s not the same as Rolex shrinking. The brand’s price index is still running roughly 55% above where it sat in 2019, and it climbed another 7% over the past year.
What’s really happening: the whole market got bigger, and buyers are spreading their money across more brands than they used to. Cartier, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin are all picking up share, especially with buyers under 30, who put roughly half their watch budget into Rolex at the 2022 peak and now put about a third.
That’s not collapse. That’s a market maturing. I’ve seen the same pattern in every industry I’ve sold into: the leader doesn’t lose when competitors show up, the leader loses when it stops earning the loyalty that got it there. Rolex hasn’t stopped earning it. It’s just no longer the only game in town.
WRITTEN BY JOHN MARCHIANDO — JUST WIND IT, NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN