Between 2024 and 2025, the global luxury watch market made a fundamental directional decision. 2024 served as a year of recalibration, during which a shift in style, changing buying motivations, and the withdrawal of speculative demand first became apparent. In 2025, the market visibly confirmed this development: demand, prices, and design preferences consolidated, leading to a clear differentiation between brands and segments.

Together, both years mark a phase of consolidation following the speculation-driven boom of the early 2020s. While a more collector- and data-driven market began to emerge in 2024, this structure continued consistently in 2025, resulting in more stable price structures, more transparent demand patterns, and a more sustainable market architecture.

The secondary market remained the decisive arena for price discovery in both years. Wishful pricing and marketing narratives no longer matter—hard data does. Sales platforms make the market honest by showing what buyers are actually willing to pay.
Looking ahead, 2026 is expected not to reverse this trend, but to further reinforce it.

The Luxury Watch Market 2024–2025: The Key Comparison

Both 2024 and 2025 were characterized by the stable dominance of the secondary market: Pre-owned watches accounted for more than 70% of all transactions in both years. The market structure also remained largely unchanged, with Rolex as the leading brand by volume, followed by Omega, Cartier, and Tudor.

Regional Price Development (Q4/24 vs. Q4/25)
The United States continued to establish itself as the most liquid single market, while Europe remained characterized by high stability and minimal price fluctuations. At the same time, the share of international sales remained stable, highlighting how digitalized and globally interconnected the watch market has become.
•     USA: Significant price increase of +8.43%
•     Europe: High stability with a minimal increase of +0.28% (in euro terms)

Market Trends & Design (Change from 2024 to 2025)
Clear parallels can also be seen on the design side. As early as 2024, a strong trend toward square and rectangular cases emerged, driven largely by the success of the Cartier Santos and Cartier Panthère, resulting in growth of +12.56% for rectangular cases.
This newly formed preference continued in 2025, with rectangular cases growing by another +9.3%.
•     Case shape: Elegant design is currently more in demand than sporty aesthetics; rectangular cases recorded two-year growth of +21.9%
•     Dials: Champagne-colored dials are trending (+7.9%), while blue and black remain stagnant
•     Complications: Moonphase watches emerged as a trend in 2024 and continued growing in 2025 (+15.3%), shifting from a niche to a trend product

Brand Performance 2024 vs. 2025
Brand Change in Market Share Top Collection
Vacheron Constantin     +13.4%
Overseas (+17.3%)
IWC   +14.4%
Ingenieur (+90.9%)
Rolex −3.3% (volume)
Market normalization
Note on Rolex: The decline does not indicate weakening interest, but rather the withdrawal of speculators and a healthier market environment.

Conclusion and Outlook

The comparison of 2024 and 2025 shows a luxury watch market that has transitioned from volatility to structural stability.
2024 represented recalibration and trend formation, while 2025 stood for differentiation and the return of collector-driven demand.

For 2026, a continuation of this development is expected: classic designs, wearable case sizes, and clearly positioned brands are likely to gain further importance. At the same time, macroeconomic conditions and regional differences will remain key factors shaping future market development.

Market development and platform data from Chrono24