An array of eye-catching timepieces for investors and aficionados.

_JamesEdition

Rolex Daytona, Ice Blue Anniversary Collection. Source: Rolex

All Rolex watches are handmade, and the process takes about a year. The luxury Swiss manufacturer is based in Geneva and was founded as ‘Wilsdorf and Davis’ by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, in 1905. The company registered the brand as Rolex in 1908, and in 2020 Forbes ranked the upscale watchmaker 80th most valuable label in the world.

As of the same year, out of the 10 priciest watches sold at auction, two were Rolex. What was the most expensive Rolex watch? The Paul Newman Daytona (ref. 6239), at $18,744,000 (inflation-adjusted).

High-end watch enthusiasts are drawn to Rolex, making it one of the top five horologists to invest in. Well-known and esteemed across the globe as well as continually in demand, Rolex watches are unlike any other.

Why? Privately held and independently run, their quality timepieces start life in an internal Research & Development lab before being crafted using expensive and hard-to-machine steel. The movements are hand-assembled and tested, with an in-house foundry making their gold.

What’s more, Rolex has a history of innovation and leadership in the field, with celebrities, sportspeople, politicians, and business magnates sporting the brand, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Che Guevara, Steve McQueen, Elle Macpherson, Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, and Marlon Brando.

---

Subscribe KONSTRUCT now for FREE

Impressive Rolex range

Alongside big-ticket auction pieces, regular Rolex collections range from $13,000-$34,000. For instance, the classic Rolex Submariner Date – the first wristwatch to take divers to 100 meters – starts at $13,337, and was popularised by James Bond movies. The Rolex Day-Date was the first of its kind to offer a calendar with both a day and date display and will set buyers back $34,500 and upward – choose from platinum, or yellow, white, or rose gold.

If you’re looking for something more prestigious, there are limited edition collections to peruse, including the Rolex Platinum Diamond Pearlmaster with 42 jewels and a custom bezel that sold for $277,850 in March 2011, and Steve McQueen’s 1967 Rolex Submariner that went for $234,000 in 2009.

And then we have other celebrity-owned pieces such as the Paul Newman Daytona mentioned above, Marlon Brando’s Apocalypse Now Rolex GMT-Master, which sold for $1.952 million in 2019, and Eric Clapton’s Rolex ‘Oyster Albino’ Cosmograph Daytona, exchanging hands for  $1.4 million in 2015.

How about vintage Rolexes? These are virtually a fail-safe in terms of investment, with value often increasing over time. Their scarcity makes them desirable and exclusive, with each watch having a story to reveal. Rare pieces are very much in demand, as collectors and aficionados seek to be part of Rolex’s distinguished history.

Rolex watches – vintage, new, and pre-owned – are expensive to buy, and their worth often goes up as time goes by, too. But it also depends on demand and supply: The rarer the piece, the more people are willing to pay. If you’re thinking about investing in a Rolex, consider four main factors: Is the Rolex rare, is it vintage or collectible, is it one of the most popular models, and is it crafted from a desirable material?

In this article, we’re looking at the most expensive Rolex watches in terms of limited edition pieces. Read on for our top 10.

Most expensive Rolex watches you can buy in 2021

10. Rolex GMT Master II in white gold

Price: $50,000

Rolex GTM Master II in white gold