126000Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36$10,5008.0% over126710GRNRRolex Bruce Wayne$24,00023.5% over310.30.42.50.01.001Omega Moonwatch$5,8906.2% over124060Rolex Submariner$12,9905.7% over124300Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41$9,99015.0% over224270Rolex Explorer$9,4909.1% over126610LNRolex Submariner Date$14,5009.1% over126900Rolex Air-King$9,50014.8% over215.30.44.21.01.001Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M$4,59512.3% over126610LNRolex Submariner Date$14,0005.4% over79030BTudor Black Bay 58$2,69910.8% under79830RBTudor Pepsi$3,2005.8% under126500LNRolex Cosmograph Daytona$33,75915.4% over124300Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41$9,0003.6% over126622Rolex Yacht-Master 40$15,89713.6% over126334Rolex Datejust 41$12,9414.5% under126600Rolex Sea-Dweller$11,9501.5% under116520Rolex Cosmograph Daytona$27,53926.2% over126333Rolex Datejust 41$15,5007.8% overSBGA211Grand Seiko Snowflake$5,07514.0% over15510STAudemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 41$38,9009.4% under226570Rolex Explorer II$11,3003.5% over326934Rolex Sky-Dweller$16,9884.5% under228238Rolex Day-Date 40$63,67536.9% over126300Rolex Datejust 41$9,00211.3% under79000NTudor Black Bay 54$3,89913.5% over126334Rolex Datejust 41$12,2669.5% under126610LVRolex Starbucks$15,69513.7% over116610LVRolex Hulk$21,89515.9% over126300Rolex Datejust 41$10,9958.3% over

Retail, grey market and pre-owned watch prices explained

By WATCH.MARKETS · Updated 18 Oct 2026 · Editorial approach

The same watch can be bought in three very different markets, and their prices rarely agree.

Retail (authorised dealers)

Retail is the brand's list price, charged by authorised dealers (ADs) and the brand's own boutiques. It comes with the full manufacturer warranty, starting on the day you buy. For most watches, retail is the ceiling: you can usually find the same model for less elsewhere. For a small number of in-demand models, retail is the floor, because ADs can't supply enough and buyers wait or pay more elsewhere.

Grey market

Grey dealers sell new, unworn watches that came from somewhere other than an authorised dealer's own sales floor. For hard-to-get models they charge above retail; for slower-selling models they often discount below it. The warranty may already have started when the dealer acquired the watch, so check the date on the card.

Pre-owned

Pre-owned prices come from dealers who buy and resell used watches and from private sellers. Dealers charge more than private sellers because they carry inventory, authenticate, sometimes service the watch, and often add their own warranty. On every watch page we show both: the private-sale value and the typical dealer price.

Reading the gap to retail

When a watch's pre-owned value is above retail, demand outstrips supply at the authorised dealer. When it is well below retail, the watch loses value once it leaves the shop, which is useful to know before paying full price. Our "value vs retail" figure on each watch page and the price-range rankings show this for every watch we track.

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