Chrono24 and the pre-owned watch year 2025: A return to stability meets elegance as a growth driver
The online watch platform summarizes its review of the global luxury pre-owned watch market in 2025 as follows: away from a volatile asset class, towards a stable, collector-oriented market.
Chrono24's review of the watch year 2025 is based on the analysis of millions of transactions on the online marketplace for pre-owned watches, which reveals a shift: While sports models continue to dominate the market volume, the dynamic growth beyond the pure "tool watch" aesthetic is taking place in the area of elegant design.
Trend towards elegance
According to Chrono24, many collectors will have abandoned the motto "bigger is better" by 2025.
- Form: Demand for rectangular cases rose by 9.3 percent, breaking the dominance of round diving watches.
- Color: While classic blue and black dials stagnated, precious metal tones experienced a boom. Green (+9.5 %), champagne (+7.9 %) and gold (+6.5 %) were the fastest growing variants.
- Function: The moon phase complication saw a 15.3 percent increase in popularity. "A clear indication that mechanical details are once again being valued more for their aesthetic than their purely functional aspects," according to Chrono24.
- Classic: Cartier capitalized on this trend with growth of 8.3 percent – driven not by hype launches, but by the constant demand for the classics „Santos“ and „Tank“.
High-end and mid-luxury
While the overall market stabilized, traditional brands recorded double-digit growth in the marketplace in 2025, according to Chrono24 analysis.
- High-end winner: In terms of growth, Vacheron Constantin overtook its direct competitors Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, increasing its market share by 13.4 percent. The "Overseas" collection alone grew by 17.3 percent.
- Comeback of the year: IWC recorded a 14.4 percent increase, driven primarily by its "Pilot" (+10 %) and "Ingenieur" (+90.9 %) collections. "This growth signals a return to technically oriented brands that offer availability without massive price markups (grey market premiums)," concludes Chrono24.
- The constant: Tudor continued its growth trajectory with +8.7 percent and, in particular with the „Black Bay“ line, consolidated its position in the segment below €5,000.
Rolex: Normalization and Innovation
According to an analysis of Chrono24's 2025 data, Rolex remains the undisputed market leader in terms of volume, while simultaneously experiencing a "healthy normalization." Market share declined slightly by 3.3 percent, which may indicate that speculative "flipping" (rapid resale) has subsided.
Nevertheless, the brand sets the agenda: The launch of the „"Land-Dweller"“ This triggered immediate search spikes on Chrono24 and proved "that genuine mechanical innovation excites collectors more than mere new dial colors".
Price development at Chrono24 in 2025
Despite global economic uncertainties, Chrono24 data for the secondary market showed little correlation with volatile stock markets.
- USA They were the strongest region worldwide. Average selling prices rose by 8.43 percent (Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2025).
- Europe It remained stable in value with a slight increase of 0.28 percent. (Note: US data is based on dollar transactions; EU data on euro transactions.)
„The numbers speak for themselves: The ‚tourist investors‘ are gone, the true collectors are back in charge. A jump of 13 percent for Vacheron Constantin or 9 percent for rectangular watches is not due to a short-term hype, but because enthusiasts are refining their taste,“ comments Balazs Ferenczi, Head of Brand Engagement at Chrono24.
„For 2026, we expect this trend to continue: a return to wearable sizes and vintage influences, but with the courage to embrace bold colors and new materials. Furthermore, sustainability will move from a nice-to-have to a basic requirement: transparency and ethical standards are no longer an option for the new generation of buyers, but a given.“
Balazs Ferenczi
Methodology: This report is based on the analysis of millions of transactions on Chrono24's global online marketplace. Brand and collection results are measured by market share (transaction volume), while all other categories are evaluated based on units sold. Percentage changes are relative to the same period of the previous year. Regional price trends are based on the average selling prices of the top 100 watch models in the local currency.
