Highly Regulated Venues Redefine How Rare Rolex Watches Enter Secondary Market

A green Rolex Submariner, a white-gold Patek Philippe Nautilus and an Hermès bracelet watch covered in more than 700 diamonds: Singapore’s latest watch auction comes with an unusual backstory. The 53 lots were forfeited in connection with the country’s S$3 billion – or about £1.7 billion – money-laundering case. Auction house Hotlotz will offer them online from 9 to 29 November. In August 2023, more than 400 police officers raided luxury residences across Singapore. Ten people were subsequently convicted, imprisoned and deported. The wider investigation’s asset haul encompassed properties, supercars, gold bars and designer handbags alongside the watches. “All these goods were forfeited to the government, and they’re looking to sell,” Hotlotz watch valuer Ignatius Low told The Business Times . He explained that unsold items incur storage and administrative costs. A Nautilus perpetual calendar, estimated at approximately £108,000-£145,000, opens at around £73,000. Bidding for the discontinued Rolex Submariner “Hulk” starts at roughly £7,000. Elsewhere, a Van Cleef & Arpels watch depicts two miniature lovers meeting for a kiss on a Parisian bridge. Those are opening bids, however: competition could push prices considerably higher, and Hotlotz adds a 20 per cent buyer’s premium. There is also an apt requirement for some successful bidders: before taking possession, they may be aske

Some auctions set prices; others set the terms of the conversation. For the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, that conversation has revolved for almost nine years around a single watch: Paul Newman’s own “Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6239, which Phillips sold in New York on October 26, 2017, for $17,752,500. It remains the highest result ever achieved for any vintage wristwatch at auction. Four unique, gem-set Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas, one for each season, sold individually at Phillips in London on September 28, 2026, for a combined $49,467,260 (£37,300,000). No buyer’s premium applied, and all proceeds go to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild. On September 28, 2026, in London, the conversation found a new subject. Four exclusive, gem-set versions of Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, each one of a kind and each dedicated to a season, were auctioned individually by Phillips Senior Consultant Aurel Bacs in a sale organized by Rolex in partnership with Phillips. Together, they achieved $49,467,260 (£37,300,000), or €43,488,070 and CHF 41,153,090 at the day’s exchange rates. Phillips describes the total as the largest consignment ever to a charity auction. It was also, in Bacs’s words, the “first-ever charity auction with Rolex, and one detail in the fine print makes the number cleaner than most auction results: buyer’s premium did not apply. The hammer is the whole story, and ever

Hands-On The Arnold & Son DSTB Stop-Seconds Auctions The 2026 Geneva Fall Auctions Mega-Preview, Part 2 — Phillips, Sotheby's, And Marteau & Co. Introducing The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility – Limited Edition for Hodinkee That is *a lot* of money for four watches, and it's all going to charity. Tonight in London, four one-of-a-kind Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytonas were auctioned off for a combined total of $49.4M (£37.3M GBP). Rumored at Watches and Wonders this year and confirmed earlier this month , the sale was held in partnership with Phillips, with Aurel Bacs conducting, and was billed by Phillips as Rolex's first charity auction. Proceeds benefit two organizations tied to Rolex Testimonees: the Federer Foundation, founded by Roger Federer, and Re:wild, co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio, in support of Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative. All four are cased in precious metal, with natural stone dials and gem-setting. The winter Daytona, in platinum with a blue opal dial and lapis lazuli counters, went for $13.2M (£10M GBP). The autumn Daytona, in yellow gold with a mookaite dial and chrysoprase counters, went for $13.5M (£10.2M GBP). The spring Daytona, in white gold with a chrysoprase dial and lepidolite counters, went for $9M (£6.8M GBP), and the summer Daytona, in Everose gold with a turquoise dial and ruby counters, went for $13.65M (£10.3M GBP). They say

Yesterday (28 October), WatchPro visited the newly reopened Rolex boutique on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street, which has doubled in size following a year-long refurbishment by the Watches of Switzerland Group. The redesigned boutique spans more than 6,600 square feet across two floors, approximately doubling the footprint of the original store, which opened in July 2020. The investment adds a dedicated Rolex Certified Pre-Owned area and a Rolex Authorised Service Centre, alongside an expanded retail environment for the brand’s current collections. Brian Duffy, chief executive officer of The Watches of Switzerland Group, commented: “We are incredibly proud to unveil the newly expanded Rolex boutique in Glasgow. Having grown up in the city, it makes this investment particularly meaningful, and it is a privilege to contribute to Glasgow’s continued growth and vibrancy.” He added: “This milestone reflects not only our confidence in the city and the enduring strength of our partnership with Rolex, but also our commitment to creating an exceptional experience for our clients.” Duffy said the boutique had been designed around the individual customer experience. “The boutique has been thoughtfully designed around the personal nature of the Rolex journey. More than a retail destination, it is a space where lasting relationships can be built, milestones celebrated, and clients can immerse them