New Chrono24-Fratello Report: Gen Z Disrupts Secondary Watch Market as Dress Watches Rise and Rolex Stabilizes

• Gen Z fuels dress watch renaissance: Dress watch purchases by Gen Z have risen 44% since 2018 versus 29% for other age groups; dress watches now represent 12% of Gen Z purchases.
• Cartier fans among Gen Z: The brand’s share of purchases among Gen Z increased four-fold from 1.7% to 6.8% over seven years, far outpacing Cartier’s overall market performance (2.9% to 4.8%).
• Rolex normalization: Market leader stabilizes at a solid 33.7% share while the Daytona overtakes the Submariner as the #2 collection behind the evergreen Datejust.

Karlsruhe/The Hague, October 22, 2025 – A new joint H1 2025 report from Chrono24 and Fratello reveals how Gen Z is reshaping the luxury watch landscape.After decades of steel sports dominance, younger buyers are clearly shifting toward smaller, sleeker, and more elegant pieces – dress watches.Meanwhile, core brands like Rolex demonstrate renewed stability as pandemic-era speculation fades into more sustainable demand.

Cartier Leads the DressWatch Momentum Among Gen Z

Gen Z has introduced faster, fashion-like cycles to a category long considered immune to rapid shifts. Cartier stands out as the clear beneficiary: Among Gen Z, the Maison’s share of total purchases has risen from 1.7% to 6.8% over seven years – four-fold increase lifting icons such as the Tank and the dressy Santos-Dumont in the secondary market. Across all age groups, Cartier's share merely increased by 65% from 2.9% to 4.8% in the same period, underscoring the outsized impact of younger collectors on the brand’s trajectory.

Dress Watches Gain Broadly – With a Barbell in Demand

The dress watch shift extends beyond Cartier. Since 2018, the popularity of dress watch sales among Gen Z has risen 44% in terms of the share of total transactions versus 29% for other age groups.Today, 12% of all Gen Z watch purchases are dress watches – the highest share among any demographic. Demand is polarized, with strong activity at entry-level (€500-€2,000) and high-end (>€20,000) price points and less movement in the middle segment.

Rolex Navigates Post-Pandemic Normalization

Rolex has stabilized at a solid 33.7% market share, maintaining clear leadership while speculative premiums recede. Prices, which were artificially inflated during the coronavirus pandemic due to speculation, have returned to normal levels. Within collections, the Daytona overtook the Submariner as the second most popular line in H1 2025, trailing only the evergreen Datejust – an internal shift that underscores robust demand in core models.

José Gaztelu, Chief Growth Officer at Chrono24, notes: "A new generation is reshaping demand – from a pronounced dress watch shift to normalization in previously hyped segments. With our joint report, we create transparency for brands, retailers, and collectors, helping them to navigate the market with confidence."

Timo Holz, CEO at Fratello, notes that data from Chrono24 validates what he has observed in the community: “Gen Z’s embrace of dress watches goes beyond a passing trend – it is a redefinition of taste and self-expression in watch collecting. Ongoing reporting lets us track how these shifts play out in real time."

Broader Market Shows Resilience and Selective Growth

Beyond the headline trends, the secondary market continues to demonstrate solid fundamentals. Omega holds the second-highest market share at 11.3%, up 4% on H2 2024, reflecting steady performance built on a deep and loyal enthusiast base. Tudor and IWC posted the strongest half-on-half gains at 6.8% and 4.9% respectively, reflecting product momentum and expanding audiences. At the high end, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet have moved past speculative peaks from the pandemic era; trading patterns now reflect more measured, enthusiast-driven demand and stable multiyear trajectories rather than short-term price spikes. 

Signals to Watch

After a sharp rise starting in 2023, H1 2025 shows the first slight dip in dress watch momentum. Whether this represents a brief pause or an early pivot toward the next Gen Z-led trend will be monitored in upcoming market analyses. Either way, the shift already underway – toward design-led, slimmer, more elegant watches – has broadened the market beyond steel sports staples and is likely to shape brand roadmaps and collector behavior into 2026.

Methodology

All marketshare figures in this report are based on transactions on Chrono24. For example, a 33.7% market share for Rolex means 33.7% of total spend on watches on Chrono24 in H1 2025 (not limited to the Top 10 brands). Growth or decline is expressed as percentage change versus the previous period. Example: If a share moves from 10% to 20%, that represents 100% growth.