The fact that Rolex are increasing their prices at the start of 2026 shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. They’ve consistently used the start of the year as the moment to raise prices year on year for ages now, with the occasional mid-year bump when necessary. Historically these price rises have been in response to inflation. While individual models might be further from or closer to inflation, on the whole Rolex’s price rises tend to balance out pretty close to the average. However, that’s not really the case in 2026.
UK Inflation across 2026 is expected to be around 2.5% and in late 2025, when many of these decisions would have been made, was around 3.5%. However, Rolex’s average price rise at the start of 2026 sits at 5%. Notably higher than inflation. If you’ve been following the economic landscape of the watch world then the reason for the extra increase isn’t a mystery. The USA’s global tariffs have severely affected Swiss imports and despite the tariff being reduced from 31% to 15% in November 2025, it’s still a significant increase compared to pre-tariff days. Rather than punish US customers specifically, Rolex are absorbing the tariff with price increases across all their markets to spread the burden, on top of inflation. Plus, it’s always worth mentioning the ever increasing price of gold that affects those models in particular.
Notable increases include the Submariner, which has seen a 4.3% increase from £8,100 to £8,450, whereas in 2025 Rolex tried to protect it somewhat with only a 0.6% increase. I know value is something that’s practically impossible to discuss when it comes to Rolex given the intangible qualities of the brand name, but it’s a simple fact that an £8,000 steel diver sounds more reasonable than one steadily getting closer to £9,000, at least on paper. Speaking of ‘optics’ the GMT-Master II has hit a significant milestone as its 4.1% price increase pushes its price into five figures at £10,050. Of course, a lot of these price rises are academic as you have to fight your way past the waiting lists first, just make sure you keep adding to that savings account in the meantime.
Cosmograph Daytona Steel and Ceramic
| Reference | 2025 | 2026 | Increase (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126500LN | £13,600 | £14,050 | +3.3% |
Pepsi GMT Master II with Jubilee Bracelet
| Reference | 2025 | 2026 | Increase (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126710BLRO | £9,650 | £10,050 | +4.1% |
