Rolex Waitlists & How Long You'll Wait | Wrist Advisor (2024)

FAQs

How long is the current Rolex waiting list? ›

They will put you on a 2-4 year waitlist, (sometimes longer,) due to their lack of inventory. During that 2-4 year waitlist, Rolex will have more than one price increase, and by the time the watch is finally available to you, you will be paying the current market price...

Waiting lists for Rolex watches, as one would normally expect, do not exist at all. Instead, if you are lucky, you will land on a so-called "prospective buyer list". This means that the respective retailer has only noted that you are interested in a specific Rolex.

The Rolex waitlist is an arbitrary order in which clients are ranked to receive new Rolex watches as they come into the store. Some stores are honest and acknowledge Rolex waitlists exist and other pretend they aren't a thing.

Rolex waiting lists 200-times longer than Patek Philippe's and even royals can't jump the queue. Seddiqi runs the largest Rolex boutique in the world in Dubai Mall.

The Daytona is very expensive because it's been one of the most difficult watches to get at Rolex for years.

Availability. Walk into any authorized Rolex dealer, and you're going to see a lot of Datejusts, Day-Dates, Oyster Perpetuals, perhaps a Milgaus, maybe an Air-King, and usually a fresh batch of Cellini dress watches in a wide range of sizes and colors. You'll always see a swath of women's models.

It is typically 6-12 weeks for a Rolex service center to complete all maintenance and potential repairs. Factors that play a role in the time it takes to get a Rolex serviced is the condition of the watch, waiting on replacement parts, complexity of the movement, and how busy the Rolex service center is.

If you happen to want a less desirable watch that an AD just happens to have on hand and unallocated when you walk in, you might get lucky. That said, there is a waiting list for most Rolex watches, whether it's one month or five years.

What is the easiest Rolex to get from ad? ›

Rolex Cellini

This is definitely the easiest model you can find at a Rolex AD, and if they don't have the model you are looking for, they'll likely be more than happy to order it for you.

A Rolex watch typically needs around 650 TPD (turns per day) in order to remain 100% wound for the day. A standard setting for a watch winder is considered to be around 750 TPD as this is generally what most modern watches require.

Waiting lists are still getting longer, according to the Watches of Switzerland Group, as it announced another quarter of solid growth.

Rolex has said, officially, that the shortage is purely due to unprecedented demand.

Rolex Authorized Dealer Supply Will Be Improved

With Rolex reducing their authorized dealer network and with their increased investment into production, the supply of Rolex watches at their retail locations will be improved in 2023.

Only some Rolex watches are scarce

Rolex steel sport (or "Professional") watches are the most visible examples — think Submariners, GMT Master IIs, Explorers and, of course, Daytonas. But even some Rolex Oyster Perpetuals are hard to get and selling for way above retail.

Clearly, divergent supply and demand is what's driving the scarcity of Rolexes available for purchase. Demand is astronomically high, and even a supply of one million new watches per year can't meet it. It comes down to a numbers game, and there's no sign that this will be changing any time soon.

In general, Rolex retailers get shipments with Rolex watches from Rolex once a month. This usually happens towards the end of the month. Rolex retailers in the same country tend to receive shipments at about the same time or at least within a few days from each other.

Rolex Submariner

Arguably the most popular Rolex watch of all time, and one which appears at the top of every list, the Submariner is designed as a diving watch – having been first launched in 1953 as the world's first fully waterproof watch which could withstand the water pressure up to 100m below surface level.

Patek Philippe arguably owns the top-tier of high-horology. Once, the most expensive watch ever sold was a Patek Philippe with many complications and sold for over 11 million dollars, second only to a Rolex that was worn by Paul Newman.

What is a poor mans Rolex? ›

Back in the days, Tudor solely used off-the-shelf movements with Rolex parts. This gave the Tudor watches the label “poor man's Rolex”. But as Tudor has developed and innovated new and unique models, as well as its own in-house calibers, it is now a high-end watchmaker in its own right.

4. Is the best place to buy a Rolex at the airport? Many international airports now feature official Rolex stores, and some have authorised sellers dealing in all manner of luxury watches and jewellery.

The cost of a Rolex can range anywhere between $6,500 all the way up to $75,000 MSRP. Factors that affect pricing are materials, new movements, collection popularity, and complications. The average price for most Rolex watches falls between $7,000 – $12,000 MSRP.

To demonstrate this drop in prices, indexes of the financial performance of watches on the secondary market by WatchCharts show that popular models like the Rolex Daytona have fallen by about 23 percent from its highest in March 2022.

Rolex Daytona stainless steel watches are some of the hardest to come by. Demand is so large for the stainless steel references that they sell for more than some precious metal references pre-owned. New Rolex Daytona stainless steel watches in either the white or black dial can be purchased for $14,550.

As you can read, there is an entry-level Rolex for all tastes, so your choice will depend on what you want and of course your wallet, in the case of the first model you can get an Oyster Perpetual from 4,300 to 29 thousand dollars.

As a general rule, steel Rolex sports watches reliably hold or appreciate in value. This includes, in particular, the GMT-Master II with its famous two-coloured bezel, the Cosmograph Daytona, and the ever-popular Submariner 16610.

Rolex is a tool watch. That is how they made their name. It is totally appropriate to wear it every day, or as often as you wish. It is meant to stand up to everyday use.

3. Cleaning Your Rolex. Depending on how often you wear your Rolex watch, keep it fresh with regular cleaning. For instance, if you wear it every day, we would recommend a weekly wash.

Battery Change

It's a fairly simple process — and one that will inevitably need to be done several times throughout the watch's lifetime — so the cost is relatively low. Depending on the type of watch, it tends to cost anywhere from $10 to $90.

Should I wear my Rolex to a job interview? ›

If you're attending an interview and you already own a Rolex, for example, one individual on the forum suggested that you're probably best-off putting it on. “Wear your Rolex on your interviews. It would be way more uncomfortable if they didn't see it until after you started a new position,” he said.

A complete overhaul takes a minimum of four to six weeks depending on the condition of your watch. Before carrying out a service, a highly-skilled Rolex-trained watchmaker conducts a thorough diagnostic examination of your watch.

When the Rolex isn't worn, it will slow down and eventually stop. You will need to wind the Rolex so that it continues to run as you wear it. Keep in mind that the less you wear your Rolex, the quicker it will stop running and require winding. Each Rolex has its own power reserve time.

From our own observations and data, most Rolex buyers are between 35 and 55 years old.

In the majority of cases, a Rolex timepiece can last a lifetime, especially if it's serviced regularly. While Rolex recommends service every ten years, it's a good idea to have your watch looked at every 5 to 7 years to ensure optimal performance.

Rolex, like many other companies that have retailers, set a so-called recommended retail price, also known as MSRP (minimum suggested retail price) or RRP (recommended retail price).

Prices came down in Q3 2022 compared to the previous quarter

The watches that came down the most in price were often also those that appreciated the most in recent years. The Rolex Daytona 116500LN is the example given in the report. At its peak, this reference changed hands for $47,400. In Q3 2022, it was at $32,600.

Rolex is known for taking their time and making small incremental changes over time to address larger issues. We predict that in 2022, after years of optimizing their manufacturing process and adjusting their skus, we are primed to see Rolex 2022 production increase and many more new watches into the market.

Will Rolex increase price in 2023? ›

And let us be clear from the beginning, on a year-to-date basis, by comparing January 2022 and January 2023, we're looking at a significant increase in all prices, ranging from about 7 to 11% depending mainly on the materials – two-tone Rolesor models being the most impacted in 2023.

Rolex watches are not only more popular than ever, and now harder to obtain due to a combination of factors. In many cases, Rolex fans must place their name on a waitlist to purchase one of these exquisite timepieces. These waitlists can last several years, and often they aren't based on chronological order.

Rolex watches are mass-produced, and they manufacture about 1 million watches per year. In other words, there are tons of watches on the secondhand market. It's just that in recent years, the demand for them far exceeds the supply, and this naturally leads to a shortage – regardless of how many exist.

The pandemic affected supply, but that's not the whole story

And even simple, time-only mechanical watches contain over a hundred tiny parts. Like everything else in 2020, the Rolex factory shut down for a number of months due to COVID-19, so there was at least some impact on supply.

The most popular Rolex models saw their prices falling 21% since the peak last April. For Patek Philippe, prices of the most popular references plunged 19%.

As a general rule, steel Rolex sports watches reliably hold or appreciate in value. This includes, in particular, the GMT-Master II with its famous two-coloured bezel, the Cosmograph Daytona, and the ever-popular Submariner 16610.