Buying a Rolex in 2025 Is Finally Getting Easier

For much of the past decade, the idea of walking into an authorised dealer and buying a Rolex sports model felt like a fantasy. But recent data from WatchCharts, paired with the constantly updated “AD Wait Time Megathread” on r/rolex, shows that waits for models like the Submariner, GMT-Master II, and Explorer are shorter than they’ve been in years. The reports are anecdotal rather than official, yet the trend is difficult to miss: the frenzy has cooled, demand has normalised, and by mid-2025 Rolex availability is improving in a way that would have seemed unthinkable only a few years ago.

A Reality Check on Rolex “Waitlists”

Image Source: Bloomberg

Before we get into the numbers, it’s worth clarifying what a Rolex “waitlist” really is. Authorised dealers don’t keep a formal, linear queue where customers take a number and wait their turn. Buyers register interest, and allocation depends on criteria such as purchase history and whether the dealer believes the watch will be kept rather than flipped. Even so, reported wait times collected over years give us a reasonable picture of how availability has shifted.

What the Data Shows

Figure Source: Coronet

WatchCharts tracked median wait times reported by buyers on Reddit between 2020 and 2024. The Submariner peaked at 105 days in 2023 before dropping to 60 days in 2024. The GMT-Master II, which hit 180 days in 2022, fell to around 90 in 2024. The Explorer saw the sharpest change: down nearly 66% over two years, from 90 days in 2022 to just 31 days in 2024.

This dataset isn’t flawless—it relies on anecdotal reports rather than AD records—but the downward trajectory is hard to dispute.

What About 2025?

To gauge whether the pattern is holding this year, the best resource is the ongoing “AD Wait Time Megathread” on r/rolex. It’s filled with first-hand reports from buyers across the U.S. and abroad, detailing exact models, purchase dates, wait times, locations, and prior purchase history.

A scan of September 2025 entries reveals both extremes and averages. Some buyers in New York and Southern California reported securing Submariners and Explorers in as little as two to three weeks with no history. Others noted more typical waits of several months for models such as the Explorer 36 or the no-date Submariner in Germany. At the far end, the Daytona “Panda” still carried an estimated two-year wait, and precious-metal pieces like the Day-Date 40 sat closer to four months depending on region and purchase background.

Taken together, these snapshots reinforce what WatchCharts’ study suggested: mainstream sport models are increasingly attainable, with waits measured in weeks or months. The Daytona and select high-profile references remain in a different league altogether.

[See the AD Wait Time Megathread on r/rolex here.]

Why Wait Times Are Falling

Image Source: Sutherland Farrelly

The simplest explanation is cooling demand. Between 2020 and 2022, Rolex demand was at its peak. Pandemic spending, social media hype, and watch speculation created a perfect storm, driving secondary prices through the roof. Buyers were willing to wait years, and ADs had more demand than supply.

By 2024 the market had corrected. Rolexes that once traded for double retail were now hovering closer to MSRP, and speculative buyers largely moved on. With demand normalising, availability naturally improved. That stability has held through 2025, even after Rolex’s modest 3% U.S. price increase on May 1—an adjustment small enough to keep momentum without reigniting the frenzy.

Is Rolex Producing More Watches?

Image Source: Rolex

A common assumption is that Rolex has dramatically increased production, but that’s unlikely to be the primary factor—at least not yet. The brand’s huge new Bulle facility won’t be operational until 2029. Temporary production sites are up and running, but the notion that these have already transformed supply feels premature. Rolex is famously secretive, and while incremental increases are possible, the sharper shift has come from demand, not supply.

What This Means for Buyers

Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi on Curved End Rubber Strap

For collectors who’ve been waiting years for a Submariner or GMT-Master II, this is the best news in some time. These models aren’t sitting in cases, but they’re no longer unattainable. The most hyped references—the Daytona, certain Sky-Dwellers, and precious-metal GMTs—remain elusive, and AD relationships still matter. But the middle of the catalogue—the Explorer, Datejust, and core Submariner references—now feels within reach again, without the years-long delay that defined the early 2020s.

Final Thoughts

The Rolex landscape in 2025 is markedly different from two years ago. Waits are shorter, demand is steadier, and while buying at retail remains a challenge, it’s no longer the impossibility it once was. The most coveted pieces will always be scarce, but for patient and realistic buyers willing to build relationships with their dealer, the path to owning a Rolex is clearer than it has been in years.