While Bitcoin continues to face a downturn, the secondary market for luxury watches is showcasing a surprising resilience. Over the past half-year, cryptocurrencies have been burdened with downward pressure, but high-end watch prices have managed to stage a modest yet consistent recovery. This trend highlights a distinct shift in how investors behave across different asset classes during times of economic uncertainty. Notably, luxury watch brands have been able to sustain their value in the face of the cryptocurrency market’s struggles.
What Fuels the Luxury Watch Market’s Resilience?
Recent data from WatchCharts reveals a 4% increase in the luxury watch index over the past six months, directly contrasting with a roughly 25% decrease in Bitcoin. This development indicates a departure from the usual trend of assets rising and falling in tandem in the post-pandemic landscape.
Examining numerous references monitored by WatchCharts, the index suggests that high-end watch prices have found stability. A collaborative report from Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts highlights this increase as a stabilization, not the onset of a new bull market. The easing of excess supply and fewer forced sales by late 2025 has relieved downward pressure on prices.
How Are Cryptocurrencies and Luxury Watches Decoupling?
For the first time in 2024, a long-standing relationship between cryptocurrencies and luxury watches has weakened. While Bitcoin’s rise was buoyed by optimism around spot ETFs, luxury watch prices dipped as financial conditions tightened and retail speculation waned. Recovery has been particularly noted in brands with strong market leverage.
Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet emerge as leaders in the secondary market recovery, maintaining solid price points as other brands experience significant discounts. Morgan Stanley highlights that curated secondary sales channels, like Rolex’s certified pre-owned program, have minimized volatility, sustaining prices.
Commodity market volatility further clarifies this divergence. Since early 2025, gold has risen by about 70%, and silver by 150%. Challenges in physical supply, industrial needs, and policy risks have increased commodity volatility, leaving cryptocurrencies out of safe-haven considerations. Investors are discerning in their choices between quick financial gains and assets contingent on physical limitations.
Rolex’s certified pre-owned program has notably provided consumers with the assurance of purchasing authentic and well-maintained pieces, supporting our prices in a turbulent market.
Analyzing the current data:
– Luxury watch index up by 4% while Bitcoin down by 25% within six months.
– Stabilization, not bull market, marked by post-2025 price adjustments and reduced forced sales.
– Global retail price surge of 7% for luxury watches, anchoring secondary market values.
– Decoupling trend showcased by differing fortunes of cryptocurrencies and watch prices.
Luxury watches remain a resilient asset, contrasting sharply with Bitcoin’s volatility. As the market dynamics evolve, investors are more inclined to seek refuge in tangible assets with enduring value over fluctuating digital currencies.
