Luxury Swiss watches still beat stocks and crypto despite Rolex, Patek drop

Prices for the most coveted Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet watches are still falling but have outperformed returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies, according to Morgan Stanley.

Luxury watches on the secondary market declined 8 per cent in value last year, an index compiled by research platform WatchCharts found. That compares to a drop of 19 per cent for the S&P 500 stock index and a 65 per cent plunge for Bitcoin.

“Nearly all asset classes are down so far over the past 18 months but the market for second-hand watches is actually down less in comparison to others,” said Morgan Stanley analysts led by Eduard Aubin.