By Paul Hornblow – Watches of Wales Owner.

A new year means a lot to different people, wiping the slate clean and starting anew, remembering those who left us, planning for our futures, etcetera. It’s also a time when watch brands make the final preparations for the big trade shows happening in March and April. Sadly, those shows are expensive, along with everything else nowadays, so it’s no surprise that many watchmakers are revising their price lists to cope with the costs (while keeping a healthy profit margin, of course). Perhaps the most important and influential of all is Rolex, which has a precedent of increasing its retail prices annually. This year is generally no different.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a massive jump in prices for most of the range in the UK, and the average price jump was around 2% for most watches. Of course, not every Rolex model has a price tag attached to it available for us to see. High-end models often have their price tags hidden behind ‘Price on Request’ tags, which is a high-end watch brand’s way of saying “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it”. Thankfully, it’s possible to see some models’ prices and how they’ve moved over time.

Starting with one of the most popular, the no-date Submariner 124060, this has gone from £7,500 in 2022 to £7,700 in 2023, an increase of 2.7%. Similarly, if you wanted a GMT-Master II 126710BLNR on the Oyster bracelet, the price has increased by £150 from £8,850 in 2022 to £9,000, an increase of 1.7%. If you wanted that on a Jubilee bracelet instead, the price in 2023 is £9,150.

If those are too sporty for you, perhaps a classic Air-King 126900 is more up your street. The price for those in Oystersteel has seen a similar jump of 1.6%, going from £6,150 in 2022 to £6,250 in 2023. If you fancy yourself the classier DateJust 126300 in Oystersteel, the price jump is smaller still, with a 0.7% jump seeing prices observed going from £6,750 to £6,800.

Right, the big boy pieces now. The Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN, that’s the one in Oystersteel with the black or white dial, saw a more significant price increase of 2.9%, and prices are now £12,500 regardless of the dial colour.

The sexy Yachtmaster 126655 in 18k Everose gold with Oysterflex rubber strap and Everose gold clasp, well, that’s gone up by 3%. That means the retail price is now £24,250, up from £23,550. Interestingly, Hodinkee reports that some of the Yachtmaster models in the USA have seen a small decrease in price, although the less stable GBP/EUR/CHF currency conversions in Europe might explain why we didn’t see any substantial downward trends in the UK.

You’ll have to pay the most if you want a Day-Date 40mm in 18k white gold. It cost £31,450 in 2022 and is now set at a princely £35,000. That means it’s had the biggest increase of the lot, with a percentage increase of 11.3% over the previous year.

To see the prices of (nearly) all Rolex models in the UK, visit Rolex.com