There is no doubt that the watch industry has become more interesting and diverse over the past several years. Independent brands like Berneron or Rexhep Rexhepi challenge the dominant players in terms of quality, creativity, and desirability. But keeping up with watches is like being an avid television watcher. No matter how popular shows like The White Lotus or Severance feel when your social media feeds and text chains are popping, their viewership numbers pale in comparison to the truly mass stuff like Yellowstone. That’s how I felt looking at the latest annual report from the secondary marketplace Bezel, which analyzes sales and consumer behavior data from its $700 million worth of watch listings.
It’s always useful to be reminded that Rolex is still far and away the most sought-after brand in the world by leaps and bounds. Over the past year, the Crown represented 36% of all sales on Bezel, more than double the second-biggest brand on the platform. Omega is next with 14%, while Tudor (Rolex’s sister brand!) is third with 12% of sales. All this tracks with the latest view into the modern watch market from Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult, which found that Rolex’s 30% share towers over the rest of the brands. On that report, Cartier ranks second with 8% market share.
In data exclusively provided to Box + Papers, Bezel broke down how Rolex got to that massive number. The secondary platform shared its lists of the top 10 most-wanted models and series—the former ranks specific references (like, say, the “Hulk” Submariner) while the latter looks at the watch model as a whole (all Submariners).
Two things that surprised me on the first list were the top watch and the sheer dominance of Rolex pieces. Here is the full list of models:
- Rolex GMT-Master II “Batman”
- Rolex Datejust 41 “Wimbledon” / Fluted / Jubilee
- Rolex GMT-Master II “Batgirl”
- Rolex Submariner Date 41 “Starbucks”
- Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch 3861 Steel / Black / Sapphire / Bracelet
- Rolex Submariner 41 Date
- Rolex Daytona “Panda” / Ceramic / White
- Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Gray & Black’ Steel / Ceramic / Jubilee
- Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” / Jubilee
- Rolex Submariner “Hulk”
When you write and talk about watches for a living, you tend to get a sense of Rolex’s magnitude—and yet, this list still blew me away. Besides the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, one of the most iconic models in the world, no other brand even cracked the top 10. What also stood out to me was that the most well-represented watch is the GMT-Master II. People want it on Oyster and Jubilee bracelets, they want it in blue and black, red and black, and with the new monochromatic bezel. Out of every single listing on Bezel’s website, 4 out of the 10 most-wanted pieces are GMTs! The GMT has always been near the top of my favorite Rolex families, but I would have guessed the Daytona would show up more on this particular list.
Bezel’s most-wanted series list, meanwhile, allows other brands a better chance to chart:
Read the full article here
