Rolex sponsored Wimbledon stars made to pay for own watches July 9, 2025 A Rolex sponsorship or ambassadorial contract is widely seen as a must-have endorsement by aspiring young tennis players, yet such deals can prove to be a mixed blessing. Such is the value and scarcity of the Swiss luxury watches that their endorsement department operates a strictly enforced tier system, with only their A-list clients such [...]
Dive time: How the diving watch plumbed new depths June 26, 2025 Almost a century ago, one of Switzerland’s historic maisons created the enduring formula for the water-resistant diving watch. With its screwed-down caseback, screwdown winding crown and rubber gaskets, the sub-aquatic world has been Rolex’s ‘Oyster’ ever since. As our timeline below shows, diving-watch casemaking has been a crucible for engineering innovation since 1926. Admittedly some [...]
A new Rolex store opens in London and Patek unveils a GMT June 26, 2025 From a sumptuous new Patek to a new London home for Rolex, we bring you the latest from the world of watches. Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time A gorgeous ivory-lacquered dial, seamlessly blending a ‘GMT’ travel feature, driven by a sumptuously hand-finished movement you can admire through the back. So far so Patek Philippe. [...]
Watches of Switzerland: US sales drive return to growth May 15, 2025 Rolex and Patek Philppe-seller Watches of Switzerland Group (WOSG) has returned to growth, driven by a double-digit sales rise in the US. The luxury watch seller told markets this morning that full year Group revenue reached £1.6bn in the year ended April 27, up eight per cent year on year and in line with market [...]
Uncertain US tariffs put Rolex, Patek Philippe and Omega in a precarious position May 14, 2025 Swiss watchmakers are nervously awaiting a positive outcome for US-Switzerland tariffs negotiations to avoid throwing the industry into chaos. On July 1, Swiss exports in the US will be slapped with a 31 per cent tariff – that is, unless the country can negotiate a deal before then. “These tariffs… place the international watch trade [...]
Rolex Predictions & Discontinuations 2025: What To Expect From Watches & Wonders March 14, 2025 Every year at Watches & Wonders, Rolex dominates the conversation, unveiling highly anticipated model updates, unexpected discontinuations, and rare limited editions that shake up the luxury watch market. Rolex’s presence at the event is thrilling, from groundbreaking new releases to the farewell of iconic timepieces. With 2025 marking the 70th anniversary of the GMT-Master, we [...]
Who watches the Watches? February 19, 2025 As a newly minted Picture Editor and thus part of the management team of a then-popular left-wing national newspaper, I sat in on a discussion about why the poor ate so badly. Having only recently landed the job and as keen as mustard – and oh so naive – my feet were still planted firmly [...]
Rolex Price Hikes 2025: What They Mean for Collectors and Buyers January 6, 2025 The watch community has long speculated about whether Rolex would raise its prices in 2025, and now the answer is clear: yes, they have. The adjustments span across nearly all collections, from the utilitarian Submariner and GMT-Master II to the elegant Day-Date and Datejust. While some increases are modest, others are significant—particularly for models featuring [...]
Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT: A real statement from Rolex stablemate December 5, 2024 In the realm of watches at least, we are truly living in a Tudor period. Not ‘Wolf Hall’ Tudor, as was the inspiration for Rolex’s anglophile founder Hans Wilsdorf when he registered his more affordable sub-brand; rather, a period that sees Tudor established distinct from its once-big brother. The new Pelagos FXD GMT proves this [...]
Watches of Switzerland: Why shares in Rolex seller are on the road to recovery December 5, 2024 Shares in Rolex seller Watches of Switzerland have surged to their highest value since January after the retailer revealed positive half-year results. The Leicester-headquartered group reported a revenue of £785m for the six months to 27 October, 2024, a four per cent rise. In a trading update issued to the London Stock Exchange, Watches of [...]