Anyone who looked at a new gold Rolex this year saw the price rise twice. On 1 January 2026 the Swiss brand adjusted its prices worldwide, as it does every year. On 1 June a second increase followed, and it hit almost only the gold models. So this is not fresh news. Since June we have not found any new increase at Rolex or the other big watch houses either. But the story shows clearly how closely the price of a gold watch is tied to the gold price.
Rolex does not issue press releases about its prices. The new amounts simply appear on its own website and at official retailers. What follows therefore comes from the price lists as specialised watch media compared them.
Two price increases in one year
The first increase, on 1 January, covered almost the whole range. According to Monochrome Watches, which compared French prices in euros, steel models in Europe rose by about 1 to 3.5 percent and gold models by 5 to 6 percent on average. In the United States the rise was higher, partly because of the American import tariff on Swiss watches. Luxury Bazaar puts it at 8 to 9 percent for gold models there.
The second increase, on 1 June, was narrower. Models in yellow gold, white gold and Everose became about 5 percent more expensive, bicolour models in steel and gold about 2.5 percent. Steel, platinum, titanium and white Rolesor stayed unchanged. According to Business AM, it concerned the big markets, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. The sources do not say clearly whether, or by how much, Belgian prices followed in June.
One example from the American price list: the yellow gold Day Date 36 went from 43,700 to 45,900 dollars in June. According to Business AM, a white gold Daytona in the United States cost 14 percent more in June than at the start of the year. Rolex was not alone. In May, Cartier raised the price of its gold watches by up to about 10 percent.
Why the gold price helps set the price of a watch
That mainly the gold models became more expensive is no coincidence. A gold watch contains real gold: in the case, in the bracelet and in the clasp. The maker has to buy that gold on the world market. The sources all point to the same cause: gold has roughly doubled in price since early 2024. Today it trades around 4,150 dollars per troy ounce, below the peak of early this year but still far higher than two years ago. Current figures are on our gold price page.
For a steel watch this does not matter. That is why the steel models stayed the same in June while the gold ones went up.
Selling an old gold watch: gold value or brand value
If you have a gold watch in a drawer yourself, it helps to keep two kinds of value apart.
The first is the gold value. It depends on the weight of gold in the case and the bracelet, and on the fineness. Many gold watches are made in 18 carat, which you can recognise by a 750 hallmark. The movement inside, the crystal and the dial are not gold, and neither is a leather strap. Only the fine gold counts. Not sure whether a watch is really gold? Our gold check page explains which hallmarks to look for.
The second is the resale value as a brand watch. For a sought after brand, in good condition and with its original box and papers, it is often higher than the gold value. How far collector value can drift from gold value was shown by the white gold Cartier Cheich, which set an auction record at Sotheby’s at the end of September.
At De Munter we assess a gold watch on the gold it contains: weight, fineness and the price of the day. Any brand or collector value is not included. Do you have a brand watch with box and papers? Keep those documents together.
What this means if you own gold jewellery or watches
Rolex’s price increases change nothing about the gold in your own watch. They do show something that applies to jewellery too: the value of gold follows the world market, and a watch brand passes that on in its prices. For an ordinary gold watch, a ring or a chain, the gold weight is the basis. How weight and fineness together determine value is explained on our pages about selling jewellery and selling old gold.