Luxury Watch Prices Are Rising Again — Here’s What Rolex, AP and Tudor Just Did

The Swiss watch industry has ushered in 2026 with decisive price adjustments from three of its most influential maisons: Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Tudor.

According to a January 1 analysis by WatchPro, all three brands have raised retail prices across both the U.S. and UK markets. The increases arrive amid mounting pressures on the global watch sector, including the introduction of a 15 per cent tariff on Swiss watch imports to the United States, sustained inflation, historically high gold prices and continued currency volatility driven by a weakening dollar.

A Wider Industry Shift — But Not Across the Board

WatchPro tracks pricing across a curated basket of models from ten of the world’s leading Swiss watchmakers. On average, prices have climbed by around 7 per cent in the U.S. and 5 per cent in the UK. Notably, while Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Tudor have moved early, other major houses — including Patek Philippe, Omega, Breitling, Cartier, TAG Heuer, IWC and Vacheron Constantin — have so far held firm.

Rolex: A Familiar January Recalibration

The price of a 40 mm white-gold Daytona jumped to $56,400 on January 1.

Rolex’s price increases follow a familiar pattern. The brand has long favoured adjustments at the beginning of the year, with additional mid-year recalibrations when material or currency conditions demand it. In 2026, average Rolex prices rose by 7 per cent in the U.S. and 5.2 per cent in the UK.

The most notable shift was seen in precious metals. The white-gold Cosmograph Daytona experienced the sharpest increase, with the 40mm model rising from $51,800 in 2025 to $56,400 (excluding tax) at the start of this year, a reflection of both surging gold costs and the model’s unwavering demand.

Audemars Piguet: Pricing Power Where Demand Is Strongest

Audemars Piguet adopted a similarly assertive approach, raising prices by 7.5 per cent in the U.S. and 2.5 per cent in the UK. WatchPro’s analysis suggests the strategy was highly selective: Royal Oak models saw far more substantial increases than the maison’s CODE 11.59 collection.

Interestingly, the adjustments appear less tied to material or complication and more closely aligned with desirability. The steel Royal Oak Chronograph recorded the largest jump, moving from $40,500 in 2025 to $44,400 in 2026 — a clear signal that AP continues to leverage its most sought-after references.

Tudor: A More Measured Move

Tudor, often positioned as the more accessible sibling within the Rolex family, proved comparatively restrained. Prices rose by an average of 5.6 per cent in the U.S. and 5.8 per cent in the UK.

While the brand produces relatively few solid-gold pieces, its gold-on-gold Black Bay 58 saw the most pronounced increase, climbing from $36,500 in 2025 to $39,400 in 2026 — underscoring how precious metals remain the key driver behind the steepest adjustments across the industry.

What Comes Next?

For collectors and investors alike, the question now is whether other maisons will follow suit as 2026 unfolds. With macroeconomic pressures unlikely to ease in the short term, further recalibrations across the luxury watch landscape may be inevitable.

For now, however, these early moves from Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Tudor set a clear tone for the year ahead — one where pricing power, brand heat and strategic restraint will continue to define the upper echelons of horology.

Let’s hope this is where the adjustments end.