Pre-owned gold Rolexes are on a bit of a hot steak.
Demand for the Crown’s gold watches on the secondary market is revving up in the face of increasing metal prices and collectors’ growing desire for gussied-up models. A trio of Rolex timepieces have leapt the most spots on the Bloomberg Subdial Watch Index since its inception in 2022; the list follows prices for top 50 most-traded watches by transaction value, the publication reported.
The Swiss watch brand’s yellow-gold Day-Date Ref. 228238—owned by British singer Zayn Malik—had the fastest ascent of pre-owned models on the Subdial Watch Index, jumping from 30th to ninth in just three years. The bi-metal Datejust Ref. 16233 wasn’t far behind, moving up the list by 19 places over the same period; the yellow-gold Day-Date Ref. 18038, meanwhile, gained 17 spots.
Rolex looms large over the secondary market, with models such as Daytonas and GMT-Masters snagging top spots on the Subdial Watch Index. The list, which fell to a post-pandemic low two months ago, has since sprung back by 3.3. percent, Bloomberg reported.
Rolex Day-Date 40 Ref. 228235
Rolex
Moving away from the pre-owned market, the Crown announced a price increase on its gold models earlier this year, with last year’s Deepsea model climbing 11.33 percent in cost, from $52,100 in 2024 to $58,000 in January. For you Everose fans, timepieces like the Day-Date 40 Ref. 228235 and the Sky-Dweller Ref. 336935 saw an increase of 11.57% and 9.26%, respectfully. That gives the Ref. 228235 a price tag of $46,300 and the Ref. 336935 one of $57,800, an almost $5,000 swell for each model.
Rolex Sky-Dweller Ref. 336935
Rolex
The price hike stems from the skyrocketing cost of gold: In 2024, gold prices rose nearly 40 percent. In 2025, bullion has increased by over 10 percent, passing the $3,100 mark recently, Bloomberg reported. And President Donald Trump has placed a 32 percent tariff on Swiss exports, meaning that we could see prices increase even further.
As for what else could be could on the horizon for the watch world, we had 11 experts look into their crystal ball to predict what’s coming in 2025. Our advice: You should probably try and get your hands on the first run of the Land-Dweller, because firsts of any model are collector catnip. And, judging by Rolex and gold prices…it may only go up from here.
