Chrono24 and the pre-owned watch market in 2025: a return to stability meets elegance as a growth driver
In its review of the global luxury pre-owned watch market in 2025, the online watch platform summarizes the situation as follows: away from a volatile asset class and toward 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, dynamic growth beyond the pure “tool watch” aesthetic is taking place in the area of elegant design.
Trend toward elegance
According to Chrono24, many collectors said goodbye to the motto “bigger is better” in 2025.
- Shape: 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 sign that mechanical details are once again being valued more for their aesthetic appeal than for their purely functional aspects," according to Chrono24.
- Classics: Cartier capitalized on this trend with growth of 8.3 percent—driven not by hype launches, but by steady demand for the classic "Santos" and "Tank" models.
High-end and mid-luxury
While the overall market stabilized, traditional brands recorded double-digit growth on the marketplace in 2025, according to Chrono24 analysis.
- High-end winner: In terms of growth, Vacheron Constantin outperformed 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 growth of 14.4 percent, driven primarily by the 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 consolidated its position in the under €5,000 segment, particularly with its Black Bay line.
Rolex: Normalization and Innovation
According to an analysis of Chrono24 data for 2025, Rolex remains the undisputed market leader in terms of volume, while also experiencing a “healthy normalization.” Its market share declined slightly by 3.3 percent, which may indicate that speculative “flipping” (rapid resale) has slowed down.
Nevertheless, the brand sets the agenda: the launch of the “Land-Dweller” immediately triggered search spikes on Chrono24 and proved “that genuine mechanical innovation inspires collectors more than just new dial colors.”
Price trends at Chrono24 in 2025
Despite global economic uncertainties, Chrono24 data for the secondary market showed little correlation with volatile stock markets.
- The US was the strongest region globally. Average sales prices rose by 8.43 percent (Q4 2024 vs. Q4 2025).
- Europe remained stable, with a slight increase of 0.28 percent. (Note: US data is based on dollar transactions; EU data is based on euro transactions.)
“The figures speak for themselves: the ‘tourist investors’ are gone, and true collectors are back in charge. A 13 percent jump for Vacheron Constantin or 9 percent for rectangular watches is not the result of short-term hype, but rather enthusiasts refining their tastes,” comments Balazs Ferenczi, Head of Brand Engagement at Chrono24.
“We expect this trend to continue in 2026: a return to wearable sizes and vintage influences, but with the courage to use bold colors and new materials. In addition, sustainability will go from being 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 matter of course.”
Balazs Ferenczi
Methodology: The 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 by number of units sold. Percentage changes refer to the same period in the previous year. Regional price developments are based on the average sales prices of the top 100 watch models in local currency.
