Editor’s Note
Global sales of pre-owned watches surged in Q3, driven by U.S. tariffs, rising prices for new timepieces, and the appeal of certification programs, according to a report by EveryWatch.
The total volume of second-hand watch sales saw strong growth worldwide in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter. The report from the platform EveryWatch points to the repercussions of US customs tariffs, rising prices of new watches, and the growing attractiveness of certification programs as key drivers.
In the third quarter, pre-owned watches saw significant gains, captivating enthusiasts worldwide with a 23.8% increase in this phenomenon. To gather this data, the EveryWatch platform utilized information from 925 retail points and 465 auction houses worldwide, focusing on 60 watch brands from Patek Philippe to Rolex, from FP Journe to Longines, and many others.
Despite the tariff increases, the secondary market showed no signs of weakness; on the contrary. In the weeks following the announcement of a 39% hike by the Trump administration, the report indicates that Patek Philippe doubled its weekly pre-owned watch revenue, jumping from $43 million to $87 million, thanks to accelerated transactions on rare perpetual calendars and Nautilus variants. Richard Mille followed an almost identical trajectory, moving from $18 million to $35 million and peaking at $48 million in week 34.
What is interesting to note, however, is that independent brands are surpassing iconic ones. Giovanni Prigigallo, co-founder of EveryWatch, explains:
The Top 10 sales are unsurprisingly dominated by Rolex: in volume (31.3% market share) and value (23.6% market share), totaling $1.6 billion in sales in Q3 2025, up 17%. Patek Philippe secures 2nd place with $728.9 million in sales, up 33% (16% value share and 2.7% volume share). Audemars Piguet is in 3rd place with $579.8 million, up 19% from the previous quarter. The record for median sales price is held by Richard Mille at $285,000. This same brand also saw the strongest sales growth with a 169% increase compared to the April-June 2025 period ($357 million in sales).
Other interesting phenomena: Europe surpassed the United States in terms of sales, and the total aggregated sales value in Asia increased by 43% between April and August, with Hong Kong and Singapore leading. But this acceleration is also enabled by collectors’ confidence in the established certification of pre-owned watches. At Rolex, sales nearly doubled between the first and third quarters. Giovanni Prigigallo explains: