As Rolex Challenges the Grey Market, It Puts Pre-Owned on the Map

Charting a new route for Rolex CPO. (Rolex.com)

In the latest sign of Rolex’s deepening investment into certified pre-owned, the brand has added a dedicated CPO store locator to its website.

When Rolex’s CPO program was announced in late 2022, it was widely viewed as a way to appease customers unable to buy new pieces. Today, it’s looking increasingly like a move to undermine the grey market.

“The idea actually came from the United States,” Jean‑Frédéric Dufour revealed at a Dubai Watch Week forum in November. “We noticed that in some points of sale the number-one brand was Rolex, and the number-two brand was Rolex secondhand.”

The CPO store locator is part of Rolex’s interactive map, which also lists service centers and authorized dealers, officially branded as "Rolex Retailers" globally and "Rolex Jewelers" on the U.S. version of the site. By increasing the visibility of CPO alongside new retail, Rolex signals pre-owned is no longer a side project, but a core part of its business. Coronet reported last week that Rolex plans to upgrade its beige CPO presentation boxes to full-size boxes, narrowing the psychological gap between new and preowned.

The Rolex CPO map includes the newly opened CPO boutique in China, the first in mainland China, located in Nanjing. Managed by Oriental Watch, the boutique is a welcome addition in a market of more than 1.4 billion people. By comparison, the United Kingdom, with a population of 69 million, has around 50 Rolex CPO points of sale.

Rolex and Roger: How the Brand Now 'Humanizes' Model Launches

A different kind of shot. (Photo credit: Rolex)

When Rolex introduced the Perpetual 1908, its first new collection in a decade, the brand asked Roger Federer to be the model for the launch campaign. To “humanize” a launch was a departure for Rolex, which had historically introduced new watches without people. The storytelling instead came from the environment: mountains, the sky, the ocean, a racetrack.

Still, a dress watch like the 1908 offered little in the way of environmental storytelling, leaving Rolex to turn to Federer, who had just retired from tennis. For the release, the brand captioned a photograph of him in a grey sweater, wearing the 1908: “When excellence redefines tradition.”

A year later, in 2024, Rolex asked Federer to model the launch campaign of its steel GMT-Master II with a grey and black bezel. Rolex's narrative, this time, managed to link the former tennis pro to the GMT-Master’s identity: “From Melbourne to New York, Paris to London... travelling the globe has been a constant for the player.”

Most recently, Federer was again asked to front the campaign for Rolex's new collection, the Land-Dweller. He was no longer cast as a traveler, but as “an astute entrepreneur,” someone “reinventing his life to build for the future,” Rolex wrote, echoing the Land-Dweller’s ethos from its press materials.

Rolex predictions are hard to make, but one safe assumption for 2026 is Federer’s presence in the launch campaign. To be sure, women Testimonees have also appeared in Rolex launches, including Yuja Wang for the Land-Dweller. Still, no one has appeared as consistently as Federer, a sign of how central he has become to Rolex’s strategy of featuring people to model new releases.

Roger Federer. (Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex Plans Larger Boxes as Its CPO Business Continues to Grow

(Photo credit: Momentum)

Since Rolex launched its certified pre-owned program in late 2022, it has used beige boxes about half the size of its standard green presentation, a choice consistent with its sustainability messaging while stopping short of the experience associated with buying new.

Last year, Rolex introduced updated, eco-friendly boxes for its new watches, as first reported by Coronet. The brand now plans to apply a similar approach to its CPO presentation boxes, while also increasing their size, the latest sign of its commitment to a program that, by many metrics, has been a success.

Certified and climbing. (Data: WatchCharts)

Rolex’s CPO program has continued to grow in sales and participation despite a volatile economic backdrop marked by war on Europe’s borders, a strong Swiss franc, record gold prices and softening consumer sentiment. Today, CPO pieces are often prominently displayed at Rolex jewelers, occupying prime retail space.

By increasing the size of its CPO beige boxes to match its green ones, Rolex will reduce the psychological gap between new and preowned. CPO clients are often first-time buyers paying a sizable premium, not only over retail prices but also over non-CPO listings. According to WatchCharts, the global median CPO premium across all Rolex CPO listings stands at 28% compared with non-CPO pre-owned watches.

Rolex May Be Hulking Up — and Turning Green — in Hollywood

Going green, calmly. (Photo credit: Marvel)

In 2026, Rolex will likely add one or two more actors to its roster of Testimonees, as it looks to bring in more film talent. The brand signed Leonardo DiCaprio and Zendaya in 2025, surprisingly the first year film actors ever officially represented Rolex.

Mark Ruffalo could be Rolex's next brand ambassador. Known globally for his role in the Marvel franchise, the "Hulk" actor is one of Hollywood’s most outspoken environmental activists, counting 20 million followers on Instagram. Ruffalo co-founded The Solutions Project over a decade ago, which helps small communities switch to 100% renewable energy. He was recently invited on the Planet Visionaries podcast to talk about The Solutions Project. The podcast is sponsored by Rolex.

“I’m an actor and a climate activist, environmental activist,” Ruffalo said on the podcast.

Rolex’s decision to partner with DiCaprio was likely influenced by his well-known environmental advocacy. Zendaya has also been recognized for her sustainability work, including at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards. With Ruffalo, Rolex would be following a similar path, aligning itself with a popular actor whose activism is part of his public image.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rolex Predictions in 2026

Crystal ball sold separately. (Photo credit: Rolex)

In the media, anniversaries are often overused to justify Rolex predictions. Based on Coronet’s interviews with the brand, Rolex appears to resist using anniversaries as a reason to introduce new watches. The brand even eschews any mention on its official site that the green-bezel Submariner began as an anniversary model.

The 80th anniversary of one of its most important collections, the Datejust, passed in 2025 without any anniversary release. The GMT-Master’s 70th anniversary did as well. When the Submariner turned 70 in 2023, Rolex made a minor hue adjustment to the green bezel, without a press release. The most recent anniversary marked by Rolex with a new model was not even its own, but the 100 years of the Le Mans race.

A more reliable way to make a Rolex prediction is to look at Tudor, as the two brands often move in parallel. Both introduced steel GMT models with Pepsi bezels in 2018. The opaline-dial Black Bay Pro with its orange hand is clearly inspired by the Explorer II. Tudor’s 1970s-style, integrated-bracelet Royal surfaced ahead of the Land-Dweller. Amazingly, this year, both brands released chronographs with pink and turquoise dials within months of each other. (The “Barbie Daytona” is an ultra-rare, off-catalog piece.)

Following Tudor’s release of the Ranger with a light dial just two months ago, a white-dial Explorer would be an easy addition for Rolex while renewing excitement for one of its entry-level watches. Similarly, offering the Daytona on a Jubilee bracelet, as Tudor already does with the Black Bay Chrono, would require minimal industrial change at a time when Rolex’s manufactures operate at full capacity. Finally, Tudor’s release of its first-ever moonphase watch last September also raises questions about the near-term plans for one of Rolex's newest collections, the 1908.

Rolex Comes to Sundance, as Redford’s Submariner Becomes Legacy

Robert Redford. (Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

Until just last year, Rolex did not sign actors as ambassadors of the brand, even though they did much to shape its image. This month, the legacy of Robert Redford and Rolex will intersect more closely than ever, as Rolex is partnering for the first time with Sundance, the world-renowned film festival founded by the late actor and held each January in Utah.

The Sundance Institute plans to honor Redford’s vision and legacy throughout the festival, which begins Jan. 22. Redford, who passed away on Sept. 16, was known to wear his personal Rolex Single-Red Submariner, reference 1680, both on and off screen, including in films such as “All the President’s Men.” The watch has never, to Coronet’s knowledge, appeared at auction, suggesting it remains part of Redford’s estate.

This year, Rolex could encourage Redford’s family to place the watch on display alongside Paul Newman’s Daytona at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where the brand is a partner. If the family instead chooses to auction the Submariner, the sale would likely raise millions of dollars, potentially benefiting charitable causes, as Newman’s Daytona did.

After Federer, Rolex Bets Early on a New Swiss Prospect

(Photo credit: Rolex)

With the Australian Open less than two weeks away, attention is focused on defending champion and Rolex Testimonee Jannik Sinner. Inside Rolex, however, another name is being followed closely. The brand’s global director of communication and image, a former tennis pro himself, has taken a particular interest in Henry Bernet.

Last year, on his 18th birthday, Bernet became the first Swiss player to win the Australian Open junior singles title. The result immediately placed him among Switzerland’s most promising young prospects and caught the attention of Rolex, still closely associated with Roger Federer even in retirement.

The parallels are hard to miss. Like Federer, Bernet comes from the same tennis club in Basel, played football to a high level, uses a one-handed backhand, worked with Swiss tennis coach Severin Lüthi, and has now won a junior Grand Slam title. Against that backdrop, it was little surprise that Rolex decided to sign Bernet, the only male tennis player added to its roster in 2025.

It remains far too early to predict Bernet’s future. But the pursuit of the next Federer is straight out of Rolex's playbook: think long, move early and wait.

How Rolex Money Also Supports Soccer, Rugby and Hockey

(Photo courtesy of Servette FC)

Rolex is famously associated with elite sports such as tennis, golf and equestrian events, but far fewer people know that its charitable structure also directly supports soccer, rugby and hockey in Geneva.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the organization that oversees Geneva’s professional teams will have a new president. Fondation 1890, which is financed by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, has until now been led by Didier Fischer, who will step down after ten years and hand the role to Grégoire Pictet. Through this structure, revenue from the sale of Rolex watches worldwide supports professional soccer, rugby and hockey in Geneva, even though Rolex does not advertise or display branding around these teams.

At the center of this complex web sits the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the charitable owner of Rolex, whose revenues underpin Fondation 1890’s nonprofit model and sustain Geneva’s professional teams. Through this structure, the foundation owns or supports Geneva’s major professional teams, aiming to provide stability. Servette FC remains the flagship name. Founded in 1890 and one of Switzerland’s most decorated football clubs with 17 league titles and eight national cups, it filed for bankruptcy twice, in 2005 and 2012, before it was saved in 2015 by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation with a double-digit-million Swiss franc donation.

In 2025, Rolex Embraces Resilience and Failure in Its New Message

(Credit: Rolex via Youtube)

Rolex introduced a new tagline in 2025, “Reach for the crown,” which is a new way for the brand to talk about achievement. It’s an interesting departure from its earlier slogans. For decades, from Mercedes Gleitze’s channel swim to “Men who guide the destinies of the world wear Rolex watches,” and more recently “A crown for every achievement,” Rolex underscored the success rather than the struggle that precedes it.

This year’s new slogan was first seen in a video announcing Leonardo DiCaprio’s arrival as a Rolex Testimonee. Despite being one of Hollywood’s most celebrated figures, DiCaprio famously spent years chasing an Oscar. The film ends with him finally holding the statuette, but only after viewers see failure, frustration and resilience: a skier crashes, a tennis player misses, a golfer collapses, a race car shatters and a sailboat nearly capsizes. Even Roger Federer is shown wiping away tears. This was unprecedented for a Rolex promotional video.

Rolex’s new YouTube series, “Rolex presents,” which spotlight its Testimonees, makes a deliberate point of showing the struggles they faced before achieving success. The brand’s new philosophy is that a trophy matters when it reflects the long road taken to reach it, including the effort and the setbacks along the way. It’s not just about holding the crown; it’s about reaching for it.

At 75, Rolex’s Most Unlikely New Testimonee

Kris Tompkins. (Photo credit: Rolex)

Among big names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Zendaya, and rising tennis stars, few have noticed that in 2025 Rolex also signed a 75-year-old conservationist as one of its newest Testimonees, making her the oldest brand ambassador among this year’s signings. Rolex normally highlights pro athletes and celebrities, so choosing a former CEO is unusual for the brand. And that is exactly what makes her selection worth writing about.

After 20 years as CEO of Patagonia, an outdoor gear company, Kris Tompkins stepped down and went on to dedicate years to protecting land and restoring wildlife in South America, a reminder that Testimonees are not limited to tennis pros, golfers and actors.

For Rolex, adding Tompkins is in line with its Perpetual Planet Initiative, as the brand continues to shape an image linked to conservation. On the Planet Visionaries podcast, which is sponsored by Rolex, she explained how deeply the Perpetual Planet partnership has supported her mission. “We started working with Rolex several years ago and it’s amazing what they’ve done for Chile and for Argentina,” she said.

Tompkins said on the podcast that “our partnership with Rolex is extraordinary and it’s fun.” She also explained how long-term collaboration only works when “the people whom you engage with really matter,” praising “the team in Geneva” as “amazing.”

Rolex Unveils Logo for Its New Film Subsidiary

(Image credit: Rolex)

The Rolex Film Company is one step closer to launch after revealing its official logo. The new film production arm is the latest sign of Rolex’s growing commitment to storytelling through video, a new chapter for a brand famous for its iconic print advertising. Rolex has recently been promoting its new “Rolex presents” series on the Rolex Family, profiling individuals associated with the brand through videos on YouTube.

It’s not unusual for a luxury watch brand to commission short films, but it is far less common to build an entire film production company, a sign of how seriously Rolex safeguards its image.

In the new logo, the familiar Rolex coronet is placed inside a bold black rectangle that looks like a movie screen. The text does not use Rolex’s typical classic serif font. Instead, it uses a clean, modern sans-serif font, which feels more contemporary to the digital and video era.

The Rolex Film Company has been established at the brand’s Geneva headquarters, as first reported by Coronet. It will be overseen by Rolex’s communications division, with Arnaud Boetsch, global director of communication and image, serving as president. He will be joined by Virginie de Meuron, head of public relations, and Jann Thürler, head of advertising and content, on the executive team.

Rolex to Keep Its U.S. Price Hikes Below 10%

(Photo credit: Rolex)

Rolex will be raising U.S. retail prices effective Jan. 1, 2026, but in classic Rolex fashion it is doing so with discipline, according to the new price list viewed by Coronet.

The brand will largely keep increases under 10% despite a macro environment that could easily justify more. The strength of the Swiss franc, which is up roughly 14% against the dollar, and a gold rally that pushed prices above $4,000 per ounce might have warranted double-digit hikes, especially for a brand whose demand remains exceptionally high. Instead, Rolex has decided to hold below that threshold and not exploit consumer appetite, even as the new trade agreement with the U.S. has not been finalized.

Less than a year after its debut, the Land-Dweller 40 will climb by $1,100, a 7% increase, under the new price list. The Submariner Date in steel moves from $10,650 to $11,350, a roughly 6.6% increase, while the two-tone version rises from $17,600 to $18,900, up about 7.4%. Rolex’s entry piece, the Oyster Perpetual, will increase to $7,050 from $6,650, a rise of about 6%.

On the precious-metal side, the yellow gold Daytona on Oysterflex will now top $40,600, up from $37,400 in 2025 (about 8.6% higher), and the Day-Date 40 in yellow gold will increase from $44,200 to $48,000, also roughly 8.6%. A full-gold Submariner will go from $44,600 to $48,600, an increase of just under 9%.

The ice-blue Daytona in platinum tells an interesting story: Platinum prices have soared more than 120% year-over-year as investors search for “gold alternatives,” yet Rolex is raising the price of this model by just 6.7%.

In a Sign of Their Close Ties, Rolex Gifts Seddiqi’s Chairman a Pièce Unique

Bound by time. (Photo credit: Tareq Wasmi)

When Jean-Frédéric Dufour appeared with Abdul Hamied Seddiqi on opening day of Dubai Watch Week last Wednesday, the media lenses were trained on the Rolex CEO’s wrist. Watch magazine Hodinkee and Getty Images, a global provider of licensed photos for the media, published close-ups of the platinum Land-Dweller with an ice-blue dial that Dufour had on. But few realized it was Seddiqi who had the more special Rolex.

The Chairman of Seddiqi Holding was wearing a piece gifted by Rolex to mark the 75th anniversary of the first Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons boutique, opened in 1950 in Old Dubai. The platinum Day-Date with a puzzle dial was customized with a date wheel showing “75” and an engraving that read: “1950–2025. 75 Years of Success. Congratulations from the Rolex Family.” According to Tareq Wasmi, who revealed the piece at Dubai Watch Week on Sunday, only one example was made with that date wheel.

It is hard to overstate the importance of the relationship the brand has built with the Seddiqi family, whose humble beginnings trace back to selling watches from a single cabinet, pieces they had bought in small quantities from Bahrain, India and Kuwait. Today, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons owns the largest Rolex boutique in the world and is the largest distributor of watches in the Middle East. Dubai Watch Week, the biennial event organized by the Seddiqi family, is the only fair outside Watches and Wonders that Rolex is willing to participate in.

As Storytelling Moves Beyond Print, Rolex Creates Its Own Film Company

Lights, Crown, Action. (Photo credit: Rolex)

For decades, Rolex relied on print campaigns that famously presented its watches as the choice of leaders and explorers, pilots and athletes. With social media becoming central to how brands communicate, Rolex has officially entered a new era with the creation of its own film production company.

Making videos is not new for Rolex, but building a dedicated production arm is. The move is rare in the Swiss watch industry and shows the brand’s unique financial position to invest in its image through a dedicated film unit.

As Coronet first reported in August, Rolex had filed a trademark for what is now becoming its first in-house film company. That plan is now official. The Rolex Film Company SA has been created at the brand’s Geneva headquarters, a sign of how central video storytelling has become in the watch industry. It will be led by Rolex’s communication team, with Arnaud Boetsch, the global director of communication and image, serving as president. Virginie de Meuron, head of public relations, and Jann Thürler, head of advertising and content, will also join the executive team. The new company is designed to support not only the creation of films but also their production, distribution and promotion, giving Rolex greater control over how its stories are told.

Last year, the brand helped produce Federer: Twelve Final Days for Amazon Prime Video, a documentary chronicling the final chapter of Roger Federer’s career. More recently, Rolex has been promoting its new “Rolex presents” series on the Rolex Family, profiling individuals associated with the brand through videos on YouTube.

Rolex CEO Defends White House Visit: 'We Had to Do It'

They reached for the crown. (Credit: Hodinkee)

Two week after going on a charm offensive at the White House, Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour went on a charm offensive with the rest of the world. He spoke publicly on Wednesday in a live-streamed session at Dubai Watch Week, and for many watch collectors and journalists, it was the first time they had ever heard his voice. “We are a very silent brand,” Dufour said. “We love journalists. Even if we don’t talk to you at Rolex, we love you.”

But it was on the sidelines, just moments after his keynote, that Dufour offered a glimpse into his decision to visit President Donald J. Trump. He told a reporter from Hodinkee that the meeting had been a necessary intervention to confront Switzerland’s economic pain, especially in watchmaking. It remains Dufour’s only recorded comment about the visit.

“We had to do it,” Dufour said. The shock 39% tariffs had hit the industry so hard that “people were frozen,” he said in brief remarks.

Dufour didn’t specify whether he meant the country’s leadership or the watch industry specifically when he said people had “frozen” under the tariff shock. But he seemed to view the visit as unavoidable rather than optional; that it was less a diplomatic gesture and more a last-resort effort to break the deadlock and confront a threat to Swiss manufacturing.

To Understand Rolex's CEO, Look to the High-End Auto World

On the grid. (Photo credit: Instagram/@rolexattar)

Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour doesn’t see Rolex as part of the luxury industry. “I wouldn't compare us to the fashion industry or any other of this luxury industry,” he said on Wednesday, speaking in a public forum at Dubai Watch Week. He added that new Rolex employees who come from those sectors often need “a little time to adapt because you just can’t jump into the watch industry.” Rather, he said, watchmaking is “closest to the high-end automotive industry.”

The 57-year-old CEO offered an interesting glimpse into managing Rolex after 10 years at the helm, showing a clear passion for the luxury car segment and drawing several parallels between the two sectors. In both, “people are ready to pay a premium to have a product that others don’t,” he said.

In remarks highlighting that passion, Dufour said he “would have cut my arm at 17 years old to be sure that at 18 years old I would be able to drive a car, whatever the car.” He also believes the watch industry today is “closest to the high-end automotive industry because they produce even more complicated products, but the brands also have a strong heritage. In terms of emotions, in terms of product, in terms of research and development, in terms of investment, at a different scale, it’s quite similar.”

Still, Dufour said the automotive world offers a cautionary tale. He lamented how auto shows have all but vanished, severing the “connection with the final consumers.” As a result, many buyers now see a car simply as a tool to go from A to B or do not need one at all thanks to Uber, a shift he believes the watch industry must work hard to avoid.

Read more from Dufour’s interview here.

Rolex CEO Offers Rare Public Remarks at Dubai Watch Week

Dufour with Abdul Seddiqi on Nov. 19. (Credit: DWW)

Dubai Watch Week kicked off Wednesday with a rare public appearance from Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour, who turns 58 in two weeks. The event’s Director General, Hind Seddiqi, recently told the Luxury Society podcast that it was a member of her team who first floated the idea of inviting him to speak. “There's no harm in asking,” Seddiqi told her. “We asked, and he kindly accepted,” she said.

Dufour’s remarks at the event avoided the subject of tariffs, but he offered some insights into the brand (Coronet’s full story). He said Rolex’s long-term success rests on trust-based partnerships not only between the brand and the retailer but also the client. He described Certified Pre-Owned as a safeguard for consumers, and said innovation at Rolex means balancing tradition with advances such as the new escapement in the Land-Dweller.

On AI, Dufour said Rolex remains committed to human relationships and craftsmanship while investing in technology to improve product quality. Regarding the Bucherer acquisition, he offered a rare insight into the company’s long-term plan, saying they have “no intention to grow further than that. It was an opportunity, and we had to do it.” He added, “Now we are understanding the retail business a little better, and that is a good thing.”

Read more excerpts from Dufour’s latest remarks in Coronet’s Long Reads.