It’s funny; when I think of memorable Rolex releases of 2024, I remember watches from 2023. In 2023, Rolex released a dazzling amount of “wild” replica watches UK. The brand dared to bring out a “lefty” GMT-Master II, three jigsaw-dialed Day-Date watches including 12 inspirational words and 31 emojis, an Oyster Perpetual with colorful balloons on the dial, and a tool-like titanium version of the Yacht-Master 42. Rolex surprised us with daring designs and functional innovations in 2023. The 2024 novelties were way more conservative, making them not nearly as memorable. This begs the question: is Rolex still the undisputed king of watches in 2024?
Despite this year’s perfect copy Rolex watches novelties not having been as exuberant and surprising, you could say 2024 has been a “memorable” year for the brand itself. One reason was the loss of its Formula 1 sponsorship role. The Crown had sponsored the biggest motorsport circus on Earth since 2011 but was brutally overtaken by LVMH. Rolex initially paid US$10 million annually to the Formula 1 organization, which rose to US$50 million per F1 season. When LVMH offered a rumored US$150 million per year to “race,” Rolex left the track.
You can see it as a win for LVMH and its luxury brands, including TAG Heuer, a watchmaking house with a strong and long-standing link to the motorsport world. On the other hand, it’s not necessarily a loss for Rolex. As I wrote earlier this year regarding Rolex losing its Formula 1 sponsorship role, after 14 years, the brand can leave the world of energy drinks behind with its head held high. After cleansing its palate, Rolex can fully focus and enjoy the more wholesome flavors in other motorsport classes, such as endurance racing, classic car racing, and other high-class events like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The short answer to this article’s big question is “yes,” but allow me to elaborate and show you why Rolex is still the king of replica watches. First of all, sales-wise, the brand is by far the most successful Swiss luxury watchmaker. When we talk about Rolex, we talk about huge numbers. According to Bloomberg, last year, Rolex produced 1.24 million timepieces, totaling a retail value of CHF 15.15 billion (CHF 10.1 billion Ex Works). The sales figures for 2024 likely won’t be very different — volumes might be slightly lower, but the average price has gone up, compensating for that.
Also, Rolex will likely reclaim the title of the world’s best-selling watch, which it lost to the Apple Watch in 2017. I know, apples and oranges, but still. In 2015, when the Apple Watch debuted, it conquered the world at a blistering pace. Many Swiss luxury brands held their breath and created high quality fake Rolex watches as a reaction. However, by 2017, the Apple Watch overtook all traditional Swiss watch brands, including Rolex. Apple sold 33 million smartwatches, and the combined Swiss sold 24.3 million timepieces. This year, Rolex will beat Apple regarding watch sales by value.
While we might be suffering from a bad case of luxury fatigue, and watch sales are in a slump, Rolex is still doing great. Yes, on the parallel market, you can also see that the numbers for Rolex watches are going down — +19.6% above retail in July compared to +21.4% in April of this year — but those Morgan Stanley-provided figures are very impressive. Only Patek Philippe does better, and Rolex is above Audemars Piguet. There is a correlation between a price drop on the parallel market and the availability of best fake Rolex watches at the official dealers. According to Forbes, wait times for popular watches are decreasing. This year, the wait for a Submariner was around 68 days compared to 105 days in 2023. That’s good news for 2025 because this trend will likely continue.
What else was new? A couple of new Day-Date references, new glamorous Daytona chronographs, and a Sky-Dweller in pink gold with a gray dial come to mind. These are not watches that break the mold like the creative novelties of 2023, nor are they as logically innovative as the titanium Yacht-Master 42 (you can expect a hands-on with that lightweight sailing watch on Christmas Day, by the way).
I believe 2024 won’t go into the history books as a remarkable year for new Rolex replica watches. Maybe 2023 was so surprising that it made the watch community, including me, expect too much. Having said that, with 2024 being rather forgettable, 2025 will likely be better. Maybe we can expect something niche again, like a Milgauss in titanium?
How did you experience Rolex in 2024, and what do you expect and want for 2025 from the brand that is still and probably will forever be the king of watches?