Watch Resale Value by Brand
What the watches people actually own fetch on the secondary market, against what they cost new — dated, sourced and read maker by maker.
5 makers readDated and sourcedFree · no account
In mid-2026 only three watchmakers' pre-owned prices sat above retail on average: Patek Philippe at about 15% over, Rolex about 10% over and Audemars Piguet about 3% over. Omega and Cartier traded roughly a quarter to a third below retail, and most other Swiss makers further below. Within every maker, steel sports models hold best and precious-metal dress watches worst.
Figures reviewed September 2026
A watch's resale value is set by the reference, not the maker — but the maker decides how far any reference can go. The makers below account for most of the value questions asked about luxury watches, and they behave very differently once a watch leaves the boutique.
Brand averages hide the spread. A steel Rolex Daytona changes hands at close to twice its list price while a gold Day-Date sits below its own; a steel Patek Philippe Aquanaut is worth far more used than a Calatrava of similar list price. So each maker's page reads its lines one by one, with every figure dated.
Every figure here is an indicative range for honest condition — never an appraisal and never a quotation. The calculator gives a range from a watch's tier, condition and papers; these pages add what the name on the dial does to it.
How the makers compare in 2026
| Maker | Pre-owned vs retail, average (Q2 2026) | Holds best | Holds worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patek Philippe | About 15% above | Nautilus and Aquanaut in steel | Calatrava and precious-metal dress watches |
| Rolex | About 10% above | Daytona, GMT-Master II and Submariner in steel | Day-Date and other precious-metal references |
| Audemars Piguet | About 3% above | Royal Oak in steel, above all the Jumbo | Code 11.59 |
| Cartier | About 25–30% below | Santos; the Love bracelet among its jewelry | Quartz and gem-set pieces |
| Omega | About 30–35% below | Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch | Constellation and De Ville |
Average pre-owned price against current retail across the references tracked by the Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts value-retention index, second quarter of 2026. Brand averages lean towards the most traded models.
What each maker's watches fetch
One page each, with the lines read one by one, dated figures, what moves them and where to sell.
Questions we are asked
- Which watches hold their value best?
- Steel sports watches from Patek Philippe, Rolex and Audemars Piguet. In mid-2026 those three makers were the only ones whose pre-owned prices averaged above retail, and the Nautilus, Aquanaut, Daytona, GMT-Master II, Submariner and Royal Oak all trade above their list prices.
- Do luxury watches go up in value?
- A small number do; most do not. Pre-owned prices fell from their 2022 peak for more than two years and have been recovering since mid-2025, but outside a handful of references a new watch still loses a quarter to a half of its price when it leaves the boutique.
- Is it better to sell a watch privately or to a dealer?
- A private sale nets more but carries the risk of fraud and returns. A dealer pays roughly 35–60% of retail on an ordinary luxury watch and closer to the private market on a wanted reference, in exchange for paying today.
- How do I find out exactly what my watch is worth?
- Find the reference number — between the lugs or on the case back — then look at sold prices, not asking prices, for that reference in similar condition and completeness. The maker pages give dated ranges; sold listings for your exact reference settle it.
Lovenhall WatchRead the watch itself
These pages read the market. The instrument reads what you are holding — recognised from a photograph, with a range for its kind.