Rolex watches, which aren’t known for being affordable, are getting even more expensive this year due to the high price of gold.
Prices for some of the Swiss company’s gold watches have jumped as much as 14% for 2025, according to several enthusiast sites that track listings. That’s a stark comparison to their steel counterparts, which saw an average increase of 3%.
One of Rolex’s most popular models, the Daytona, has seen the biggest price increases. For example, the white gold version with the OysterFlex bracelet has a suggested retail price of US$38,100 (about R$234,700) — a sharp increase from the US$35,000 (R$215,600) price of the last year.
Another model, the GMT-Master in yellow gold, is priced at US$43,300 (R$267,000) on the Rolex website, an increase of almost 7%.
Rolex declined a request for comment from CNN Internationalbut the luxury watch maker raises prices annually, largely responsible for raising the prices of gold watches twice in 2024.
Gold prices rose 27% last year as central banks around the world cut rates.
Investors generally view gold as a safe haven in times of economic turmoil and inflation, and when interest rates are cut, like bonds.
But don’t expect the higher prices to discourage watch buyers and collectors. Instead, wealthy clients have very deep pockets that are “rarely impacted by market fluctuations that affect ordinary consumers,” wrote Antonio Sasso for Italian Watch Spotter.
He added that “price increases not only do not lead to a significant loss of customers, they become a key strategy.”
Gold prices are not expected to fall in 2025, with the.
“Overall market sentiment suggests sustained support for gold prices, particularly as investors seek to balance their portfolios against various economic and political risks,” wrote Joseph Dahrieh, managing director at brokerage Tickmill, in a note on Thursday. .
With information from John Towfighi, from CNN Internacional
