Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Tudor started 2026 with a fiscal bang.
The three watchmakers have raised the price of their respective wristwatches in the U.S. and the U.K., according to a WatchPro analysis on January 1. The increases come as the industry grapples with the newly implemented 15 percent tariff on Swiss watch imports to the U.S., as well as record gold costs, global inflation, and a weakening dollar.
WatchPro tracks U.S. and U.K. prices for a basket of watches from 10 of the biggest Swiss watchmakers. Prices climbed by an average of 7 percent in the States and 5 percent across the pond. Rolex, Tudor, and Audemars Piguet all imposed significant hikes, while Patek Philippe, Omega, Breitling, Cartier, TAG Heuer, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin have not yet made any adjustments.
Average Rolex prices jumped by 7 percent in the U.S. and 5.2 percent in the U.K. at the beginning of 2026. The Crown typically raises prices at the start of the year and occasionally during the middle of the year, depending on fluctuations in currency exchange rates and material costs. It raised prices in January 2025 and again in May 2025, for example. The white-gold Cosmograph Daytona was subject to the biggest change, with the retail price of the 40 mm piece climbing from $51,800 (excluding tax) in 2025 to $56,400 in 2026, the WatchPro data shows.
The price of a 40 mm white-gold Daytona jumped to $56,400 on January 1.
Rolex
Audemars Piguet took a similar approach to Rolex, bumping up prices by 7.5 percent in the U.S. and 2.5 percent in the U.K. Prices of Royal Oaks increased considerably more than the less popular CODE 11.59 in both countries. WatchPro notes that there seems to be little correlation between price rises for gold or steel, or between time-only pieces and more complicated chronographs, suggesting that AP’s strategy is to increase prices where demand is strongest. The steel Royal Oak Chronograph received the largest adjustment, with the asking price moving from $40,500 in 2025 to $44,400 in 2026.
Tudor was slightly kinder to collectors, increasing prices by an average of 5.6 percent in the U.S. and 5.8 percent in the U.K. The maison makes very few all-gold watches, but the gold-on-gold Black Bay 58 saw the biggest hike, with the price climbing from $36,500 in 2025 to $39,400 in 2026.
Let’s hope the other watchmakers don’t follow suit.
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