Independent · The buyer’s side

The watch market, explained from your side of the counter

Most watch media works for the brands. This site works for the person paying. Three ways in:

Understand the game

Start with the guide: allocation, the three price layers, what holds value. Five chapters, no jargon.

Check the real price

True Cost compares fifteen references across four countries: boutique price, tax, and honest market ranges.

Read this quarter’s numbers

What steel sports actually trade at, updated every quarter. Ranges, not asking prices.

Featured essay

The cheapest Rolex, and the most expensive colour

The ordinary Oyster Perpetual and the turquoise one share a case, a movement, and a name. One you can buy this afternoon. The other once sold for seventy thousand dollars. The difference is paint.

Premium over retail, unworn full setQ3 2026 · midpoints
Patek Aquanaut 5167A+151%
Patek Nautilus 5726+105%
Rolex Daytona (panda)+92%
AP Royal Oak 15510ST+87%
Rolex Land-Dweller+77%
GMT “Bruce Wayne”+58%
Rolex Submariner+18%