【法国】What Are the Trends in the Second-Hand Watch Market?

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Editor’s Note

This analysis, based on Chrono24’s 2025 market data, highlights Rolex’s exceptional resilience. The brand has not only recovered but solidified its dominant position in the secondary watch market, underscoring its enduring value and appeal to collectors.

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Rolex Has Regained Its Pre-COVID-19 Market Share

What is the state of the second-hand watch market? In partnership with Fratello Watches, Chrono24 published its study on the subject on October 22. Focusing on the first six months of 2025, the report is based on transactions conducted on the new and pre-owned watch buying and selling platform, which has approximately nine million active users.

Rolex distinguished itself from other brands through its stability, showing no variation in its relative market share in the first half of 2025 compared to the last half of 2024. However, when comparing to previous semesters starting from 2022, the leading Swiss watchmaker with its iconic Datejust, Daytona, and Submariner models continued to show a slight decline in market share,

“significantly slowed down recently, suggesting that the brand has found a balance,”

explained the report.

“After the extraordinary surge in demand and prices due to the pandemic, fueled by scarcity, speculation, and increased interest from collectors, Rolex has returned to its pre-COVID-19 market share. Crucially, multi-year growth remains positive, and the brand has regained its role as an indispensable player in the market, not a speculative asset.”
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Mid-Range Luxury in Steady Growth, High Watchmaking Stabilizes

Brand performances were fragmented in the first six months of 2025. Tudor recorded notable growth by increasing its relative market share by +6.6%. IWC and Omega also stood out with respective increases of +4.9% and +4%. Far from the more speculative segments, these two houses embody a category of

“mid-range luxury in steady growth”

over the past three years, as mentioned in the study.

Jaeger-LeCoultre generated an increase of +0.8%, while TAG Heuer (-1.4%), Breitling (-4.4%), and Cartier (-5.9%) faced more significant declines. According to the major trend identified in the report, the

“high watchmaking segment seems to have moved past its hype cycle towards a more stable pace.”
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“With speculators largely gone, savvy collectors are setting a more realistic tone,”

as seen with Audemars Piguet (+0.2%) and Patek Philippe (-8.2%, explained by a particularly dynamic second half of 2024).

Gen Z Turns to Dress Watches

While post-pandemic speculation has faded in favor of more stable and balanced growth, young consumers are also changing the game in the watch industry.

“A new wave of enthusiasts, eager to define their own style, is challenging the long-standing dominance of luxury steel sports icons like the Royal Oak, Submariner, and Speedmaster. These timepieces remain volume bestsellers, but another category is gaining momentum.”

Although brands’ iconic and historical collections continue to be seen as safe bets for buyers, the

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“Generation Z has accelerated the rise of design watches, thinner and more dressed up.”

The share of dress watch sales linked to purchases by these young consumers increased by +44% between 2018 and 2025, and 12% of all watches purchased today by Gen Z are precisely these timepieces. The trend has particularly benefited Cartier, whose aesthetic is rooted in this quest for elegance and refinement. According to Chrono24, Cartier’s share of total watch sales to Gen Z has risen from 1.7% to 6.8% in seven years.

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⏰ Published on: October 29, 2025