A Rare Window for Rolex Buyers as Tariffs Swell Inventories

Rolex’s boutique in Beverly Hills. (Photo credit: Gearys)

Watch brands racing to get ahead of U.S. tariffs have front-loaded shipments into the country. The result is that inventories will be fuller than they’ve been in a long time, even if retailers will likely meter sales to preserve an air of scarcity.

Rolex retailer Watches of Switzerland said Wednesday it still expects revenue to grow 6% to 10% through April 2026, as partners built up stock to offset tariffs. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported a similar trend, with July exports to the U.S. surging a staggering 45% year-over-year, as brands rushed shipments ahead of the levies.

Swatch Group chief executive Nick Hayek last week confirmed the company now holds roughly six months of inventory in the U.S. At Breitling, CEO Georges Kern said they too shipped “lots of stock before the official announcement.”

It’s likely Rolex employed the same strategy and loaded up its American retailers. For buyers, that means stock is higher than it’s been in years. With extra inventory in place, shoppers may find more options heading into the Christmas season.

In Geneva, Two Faces of Hans Wilsdorf’s Legacy

Hans Wilsdorf

In an interview with Swiss magazine Blick published Monday, Hans Wilsdorf Foundation general secretary Marc Maugué said the organization distributed more than 500 million francs in aid last year. The foundation has declined tax-exempt status for the past five years and pays about 75 million francs in taxes annually. Its latest purchase, Geneva’s RTS tower, cost 150 million. The total value of its real estate holdings is less than a billion francs.

Rolex and the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation share a founder but little else. Rolex guards its figures. The foundation publishes them. But the differences extend beyond disclosure.

(Data: Hans Wilsdorf Foundation)

The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation’s motto, “Le bien ne fait pas de bruit et le bruit ne fait pas de bien” (“Good does not make noise, and noise does no good”), underscores its discretion when it comes to public presence. That stands in contrast to Rolex, a company that thrives on visibility, sponsorships and products increasingly designed to be seen.

Rolex seeks out champions and virtuosos who embody excellence. The foundation looks for orphans in need of shelter, students short on tuition and local groups struggling to survive. Maugué noted, with modesty, that Geneva would scarcely change if the foundation disappeared. Rolex, by contrast, presents its watch as an essential emblem of achievement. For Rolex, visibility is everything. For the foundation, invisibility is the point. Together, they are the two faces of Hans Wilsdorf’s legacy.

After Federer Era, Rolex Pins Hopes on Sinner

(Photo credit: Instagram/@janniksin)

Rolex’s tennis roster is enjoying a strong season, collecting multiple Grand Slam wins. Italy’s Jannik Sinner, now world No. 1, took Wimbledon over fellow Rolex Testimonee Carlos Alcaraz. On the women’s side, Iga Świątek claimed the trophy wearing a Rolex Datejust, underscoring the brand’s reach at the top of the sport.

For Rolex, Sinner is the prize. At 24, he offers discipline on court and approachability off it, qualities the brand has leaned on since Roger Federer retired. Rolex recently devoted a 10-minute film to him in its documentary series on company ambassadors.

In New York for the U.S. Open, Sinner has become a regular at Osteria Delbianco, an Italian restaurant in Midtown. He was spotted there this week wearing a Rolex Daytona; it was a Submariner the year before. Such visibility matters: unlike Leonardo DiCaprio who rarely wears the product in public, Sinner does; he has been wearing the Daytona since his win at the Australian Open, in Jan. 2025. With youth, marketability and major wins, he represents Rolex’s best chance at a Federer-like successor.

Jannik Sinner at Osteria Delbianco in New York in Aug. 2025. (Photo credit: Instagram/@osteriadelbianco)

Rolex Loses Infrastructure Veteran Amid Expansion

Rolex’s future site in Bulle. (Photo: Chloé Lambert)

After more than three decades at Rolex, Hubert du Plessix is stepping down as senior vice president, closing out a 35-year tenure leading the brand’s Infrastructures & Investissements division.

Du Plessix studied law in Paris and spent a short stint in London before moving to Switzerland, where he rose to Rolex’s top ranks. Since joining the company in 1990, he has overseen the brand’s investments and infrastructure, including management of Rolex’s facilities, headquarters and new construction projects. As reported by Coronet, the brand owns significant real estate in Switzerland and abroad.

Du Plessix’s departure comes as the brand pursues one of its most ambitious projects: the construction of a new, one-billion-franc manufacture in Bulle.

Du Plessix’s influence has extended well beyond Rolex. As president of the Swiss Exhibitors Committee at Baselworld, he made headlines in 2020, when a leaked letter revealed his push for MCH Group to refund exhibitors, warning that without fair treatment Baselworld was headed for collapse.

Rolex to Back Geneva’s Future Tallest Tower

Geneva, Switzerland

Rolex is preparing to leave its most visible imprint yet on its hometown, as it plans to finance the tallest of two planned towers in the Praille-Acacias-Vernets district, a redevelopment zone on the edge of the city that is set to reshape the local skyline.

At 175 meters, the tower financed by Marconi SA, the real estate arm of Rolex SA, will be the tallest building in Geneva and among the highest in Switzerland. A second tower, at 170 meters and backed by an unnamed Swiss real estate group, will rise beside it.

The project is intended not for offices but for housing, with about 600 apartments and 70 percent of the space dedicated to residences. Public terraces atop both towers will open Geneva’s skyline to residents and visitors alike.

For Rolex, the investment underscores a deeper connection to the city where it has anchored its global headquarters for more than a century. An architectural competition is expected to open later this year, with completion projected around 2035.

First Book to Headline Rolex Land-Dweller

(Photo credit: TeNeues)

German watch writer Gisbert L. Brunner has returned with “The Watch Book Rolex: Next Generation,” a book to be released this fall in both German and English. The 256-page hardcover, published by teNeues, features nearly 200 images and explores Rolex’s rise through its tool watches, as well as the brand’s influence in culture.

Brunner’s earlier volume on Rolex sold more than 70,000 copies, according to Wichtschafts-Woche, a German magazine. The new title arrives just months after Rolex unveiled the Land-Dweller, its most significant new line in a quarter century.

(Photo credit: TeNeues)

For Brunner, the Land-Dweller typifies the “Rolex principle.” At first glance, it takes cues from a 1974 design, but inside it carries 32 patents and the new Dynapulse silicon escapement, marking a rare step-change in the brand’s restrained evolution. By emphasizing continuity in appearance while engineering innovation behind the dial, the book argues, Rolex continues to reinforce its standing as the most enduring name in luxury watchmaking.

“The Watch Book Rolex: Next Generation” will be available in the U.S. in late October on Amazon.

Rolex Files Trademark for In-House Film Company

Rolex on Aug. 20th filed a trademark application for “The Rolex Film Company” with the Swiss Institut Fédéral de la Propriété Intellectuelle, the latest sign the brand is growing its media efforts in-house — with protections covering films, documentaries and other audiovisual content.

Rolex in May began promoting its new "exclusive documentary series" on the Rolex Family which profiled individuals associated with the brand through short videos on Youtube. Its latest, released just Tuesday, is a 10-minute video on Jannik Sinner and his return to tennis after a three-month suspension.

Last year, Rolex helped produce “Federer: Twelve Final Days” for Amazon Prime Video, a documentary that chronicled the closing chapter of brand ambassador Roger Federer’s career.

The new trademark suggests Rolex has created an in-house unit for film productions, a rare move for a watch company, aimed at giving the brand greater control over how its timepieces and the stories of success around them are told.

Rolex Sponsorship Chief Departs After Decade at the Helm

Laurent Delanney, left, and Philippe Schaeffer, former managing director of Rolex France. (Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters)

Rolex’s Vice-President of Global Sponsorship, Laurent Delanney, has stepped down, according to an official Swiss business filing published Wednesday.

While Rolex does not comment on executive departures, the news comes just months after the brand exited Formula 1 following a disagreement over term length. After a decade of shaping the brand’s global sponsorship portfolio, Delanney’s departure marks the end of a highly visible chapter.

Delanney joined Rolex in 2015 after two decades in professional tennis, including as CEO of ATP Europe. At the brand, he helped expand Rolex’s presence across elite sports.

“I am head of sponsorship globally,” Delanney once told Ubitennis, an Italian tennis publication, in a rare interview. “I have the responsibility to oversee all different sports and areas that Rolex has an involvement in. So, that includes golf, tennis, sailing, motorsports, equestrian, and also our cultural activities that are opera, classical music,” he said.

Delanney also helped Rolex become the only watch company to sponsor all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. The US Open deal in 2018 was the result of months of direct talks between Delanney and Lew Sherr, then chief revenue officer of the USTA. The partnership surprised some, given the US Open’s high-energy image. But Delanney saw value and made the deal happen.

His global network extended well beyond sports; in 2010, he was photographed leaving the White House for a golf outing alongside President Obama’s close friends, just days after the President’s birthday, a sign of his reach in both professional and personal circles.

A Different Kind of Buzz at Rolex

Rolex’s Chêne-Bourg site. (Photo credit: Rolex)

Coronet is always ready to comb through any Rolex updates and couldn’t let this one fly under the radar. This time, it isn’t about a new release or a sponsorship. But, on Saturday morning, a swarm gathered outside Rolex’s Chêne-Bourg facility — quite literally.

A colony of bees took up residence in a plane tree near the entrance, prompting a call to the volunteer firefighters of Thônex, a nearby town. Two responders, suited up in protective gear, scaled the tree to secure the scene. The firefighters used water to dampen the bees’ wings, making them easier to collect. The area around the tree was cordoned off, and the bees were left in peace until an apiarist could retrieve the swarm later that evening.

Rolex’s Chêne-Bourg facility, near Geneva, is known for its development and production of watch dials; it is where “the face of the watch takes shape,” as Rolex puts it. Whether the bees approved of the new Land-Dweller’s honeycomb dial is anyone’s guess. But the buzz around the brand is still going strong.

As U.S. Cuts Aid, Hans Wilsdorf Steps In

The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross. (Photo credit: Keystone)

La Genève internationale, in Swiss parlance, refers to the ecosystem of international organizations, including hundreds of NGOs working in areas such as humanitarian aid, human rights and development — in a city known for its key role in diplomacy.

That international sector, which employs more than 36,000 people in Geneva, is now under pressure due to significant budget cuts, in part linked to reduced U.S. contributions during the Trump administration. In response, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation has expressed its willingness to provide financial support to help NGOs restructure and explore new forms of cooperation.

In a new plan announced on Wednesday and first reported by newspaper Le Temps, the Geneva Canton and the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation would contribute equally to a 50 million CHF package aimed at helping NGOs adjust to the current financial shortfalls.

If approved by the Canton's Grand Conseil, the donation would mark a rare move for the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, an organization known for its discreet support of Geneva’s social welfare, education and culture. The foundation would be taking the unusual step of supporting international organizations and NGOs at a time when funding challenges are shaped by geopolitical factors.

Rolex Prepares to Launch New Roland Garros Clip

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex is preparing to release a new video ahead of the 2025 Roland Garros tournament, highlighting its continued role as Official Timekeeper of the only Grand Slam played on clay.

Currently unlisted on YouTube, the video begins with a voice-over by Chris Evert and Björn Borg and focuses on the tournament’s distinct challenges. It also features Rolex’s new tagline, Reach for the Crown, first introduced in February as part of a broader shift in its marketing approach.

Set to coincide with the start of the French tennis tournament on May 25, the video features the Datejust 41 in Oystersteel and Everose gold with a chocolate dial and a Jubilee bracelet.

As in all Rolex sponsorship videos, the brand also spotlights its association with top players, including Jannik Sinner, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz.

Watch the video here.

Rolex Brings GMT Showcase to Hong Kong

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex might not have a museum, but it’s making use of its rare collection of vintage watches by exhibiting them across the world. Rolex will be spotlighting the evolution of the GMT-Master in Hong Kong from May 26 to June 8, 2025, “its first stopover,” according to the brand.

The exhibition is Rolex’s most recent attempt to boost demand in the region, as the broader luxury industry has faced headwinds in Asia, with annual Swiss watch exports dropping 25.8% to China and 18.7% to Hong Kong, according to the latest data by Federation of Swiss Watch Industry FH.

Hosted at Freespace in the West Kowloon Cultural District, this marks the GMT-Master exhibition's first appearance in Asia following its initial showcase in Geneva in 2024. In a rare move for Rolex, the brand has introduced an online reservation system for this exhibition on its official website. Visitors are required to book their time slots, receiving a unique QR code for admission.

The event, called “Time Zone To Time Zone,” delves into the GMT-Master's history, tracing its origins from the 1955 model worn by Pan Am pilots to its current status as a symbol of global travel and exploration.

Theft Reported at Rolex Construction Site in Bulle

(Photo credit: Chloé Lambert)

Rolex’s construction site in Bulle, Switzerland, which is set to become one of the brand’s largest production facilities, has attracted attention in recent weeks, both from curious passersby and, more recently, from thieves.

On May 3rd, an early-morning break-in occurred at the 100,000-square-meter site, during which several storage containers were forcibly opened and equipment was taken. The cantonal police confirmed the incident but did not specify the nature of the stolen materials. Rolex declined to comment.

According to police spokesperson Caroline Aebi, six separate complaints have been filed by companies involved in the project. An investigation is currently underway to determine who is responsible. The incident highlights the challenges of securing large-scale construction sites, even in Switzerland, where Rolex’s expansion plans have otherwise progressed with limited disruption.

Tru-Beat, a Watch Long Gone, Reappears on Paper

(From Swissreg.ch)

It's not unusual for Rolex to register dozens of soundalike trademarks, names like “Datejuster” or “Master-Datejust,” not with the intent to produce new models, but to guard its nomenclature from imitations. These filings are a form of brand protection against names closely tied to the Rolex identity.

Still, the brand's decision earlier this week to register “Tru-Beat,” a name that is not a riff on anything in the current lineup, is worth writing about. First introduced as a doctor’s watch in the mid-1950s, the original Rolex Tru-Beat featured a mechanical movement with a ticking seconds hand that mimicked the motion of a quartz watch, making it easier to measure heart rates. It's a Rolex mechanical watch pretending to be quartz.

The “Tru-Beat” trademark filing on Monday is not a renewal; it’s a new application for a watch name that has been out of circulation since 1959—and sounds nothing like what is currently in the catalog. Could Rolex be planning something more than just legal protection?

Rolex's Missed Solar Opportunity

(Rolex image, modified)

For the launch of the Land-Dweller project several years ago, Rolex’s office of general management tasked its design teams with creating a model that would share nomenclature with the Sea-Dweller and the Sky-Dweller.

If Coronet had been stuck in an elevator with Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour for any length of time, his pitch would have been for the Sun-Dweller: Rolex’s first solar-powered watch, a natural complement to the Sky- and Sea-Dweller.

The name may sound bold, even harmful to your health, but so are the seas and skies Rolex already chooses to dwell in. (At least, the name starts with an “S.”)

(Rolex image, modified)

After all, Rolex already loves the sun. The brand has installed over 10,000 square meters of solar panels across all its manufacturing sites. Tied to the Perpetual Planet Initiative, a solar-powered Rolex watch would speak to sustainability and remind us we live under the most powerful energy source in our system: the sun.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Leonardo DiCaprio, who joined the Rolex family just weeks before Watches and Wonders, would have been the perfect figure to introduce the Sun-Dweller.

Coronet has long argued DiCaprio—the most prominent actor to represent Rolex since Paul Newman—shouldn't be treated as just another brand ambassador. Instead, Rolex should mirror the Newman playbook, associating him with a single timepiece, one he wears consistently on red carpets, at environmental summits and on film sets, turning the model into an icon.

A fictitious ad for the Rolex Sun-Dweller. (Sony Pictures)

DiCaprio, a vocal advocate for renewable energy and an investor in several solar-focused companies, has called solar power “key to a future without fossil fuels.” Imagine if Rolex had tied that vision to a timepiece. (And if Mr. Dufour were looking for a technical challenge, why not launch the first solar-powered watch with a smooth-sweeping seconds hand?)

By linking the Sun-Dweller to DiCaprio, Rolex could have turned a new product into a symbol of environmental responsibility, putting the spotlight—literally—on the power of the sun.

The Perfect Storm That Could Boost the Rolex Pre-Owned Market

(Photo credit: Rolex)

The U.S. luxury watch market is confronting a confluence of economic pressures that could push up the value of pre-owned Rolex watches.

A proposed 31% tariff on Swiss imports, including Rolex, is poised to increase the cost of new models, especially after Rolex already raised U.S. prices twice in the past year. This is compounded by a weakening U.S. dollar against the Swiss franc, which further drives up prices for American clients. Additionally, the price of gold has surged to record highs, surpassing $3,000 per ounce, impacting the cost of new gold-based watch models.

These factors are likely to drive consumers toward the secondary market, where pre-owned Rolex watches are more attractive not just for their relative affordability compared to MSRP, but also for their immediate availability.

(Source: FactSet)

While the full 31% tariff on Swiss products is unlikely to return after the 90-day pause announced by President Trump on Apr. 9, a reduced but still significant 10% tariff remains on the table and could become permanent. Adding to the pressure, the U.S. dollar has continued to weaken since tariffs were first announced amid economic uncertainties, pushing the CHF/USD exchange rate now close to a 13-year high.

Meanwhile, the pre-owned watch market has begun to stabilize, posting its strongest quarter in three years and the smallest decline since early 2022, according to the most recent Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts report.

Rolex’s secondary market is entering a new phase, less driven by hype than during the pandemic, but now backed by stronger global factors. Even if tariffs come down and gold or the Swiss franc plateau, luxury watch pricing is shifting. The market is adjusting, and pre-owned Rolex models are likely to benefit.

In DiCaprio, Rolex Finds a New Kind of Voice

Leonardo DiCaprio. (Credit: NatGeo)

Unlike Roger Federer, Leonardo DiCaprio works hard to avoid the spotlight. When he is indeed spotted, he’s usually dressed in black, ducking behind face masks and baseball caps, slipping from back entrances into waiting SUVs. He grants few interviews and keeps a low public profile. For a luxury brand like Rolex that relies on celebrity exposure, choosing him as a Testimonee feels almost counterintuitive.

On Earth Day, Rolex released a one-minute video featuring several environmental advocates, including DiCaprio. While watches have little to do with saving the planet, Rolex’s decision to partner with the actor underscores a more values-driven form of marketing, one that is still rare in the glitzy world of luxury, especially in an age of Instagram and constant visibility.

Dr. Piers Sellers (L) and Leonardo DiCaprio (R). (NatGeo)

The clip, released earlier today, opens with a voiceover from DiCaprio: “There is a sense of urgency that we all must do something pro-active about this issue.” The quote comes from a backstage press conference at the 2016 Oscars, just after he addressed climate change in his acceptance speech.

Research shows that 82% of shoppers want a brand’s values to align with their own, and they’ll vote with their wallet if they don't feel a match, while three-quarters of shoppers reported parting ways with a brand over a conflict in values. (And 72% say they think companies overstate their sustainability efforts.)

In that light, DiCaprio’s role is less about selling watches and more about underscoring Rolex’s commitment to the planet. The brand’s main plans for DiCaprio aren’t necessarily to be spotted wearing a Rolex, but to be the personification of one of its most important values.