The most expensive wristwatch in the world is a 1968 Rolex Daytona. It belonged to the Hollywood star, racing driver and director Paul Newman. In 2017, it was sold at auction for US$17.75 million. Today, that’s around R338 million.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a multi-millionaire to own a coveted Swiss timepiece. Rolex watches in South Africa start at around R36,000 for a pre-owned Oyster Perpetual.

Rolex watches priced under R100,000

If you’re in the market for a Rolex, here are a few watches that currently sell for less than R100,000.

Rolex Air King

With sleek casing and a prominent minute scale for navigational time readings, the Air King is an aviator’s timepiece. It was launched in 1945 as a tribute to the RAF pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain.

Although the Air King is often viewed as an entry-level Rolex, it has a movement on a par with the Explorer. Vintage Air Kings are rare and expensive but more recent, pre-owned models retail for between R58,000 and R75,000.

Rolex Datejust

The Rolex Datejust is the watch on which the brand was built. It was the first wristwatch to feature the date. It was also the first watch with self-winding capabilities that allowed it to automatically update at midnight.

The Cyclops, a magnifying date bubble on the face, is the model’s most distinctive feature. The Datejust is a pioneer and famous owners include Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama.

What can you expect to pay for a piece of horological history first launched in 1945? Anything between R90,000 and R99,999, depending on the year and condition of the watch.

Rolex watches selling for more than R125,000

Anyone with a bigger budget may be able to afford one of the more iconic Rolex watches.

These timepieces were custom-built for racing drivers, deep-sea divers and long-haul pilots.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is a distinctive wristwatch featuring a number of dials and counters. Professional racing drivers use it as the ultimate tool to measure elapsed time, and average speeds, up to 400 kph.

It’s a chunky, masculine watch, and a tribute to the Daytona Speedway, one of NASCAR’s fastest and most dangerous racing tracks. The Cosmograph Daytona is in a class of its own. Expect to pay more than R350,000 for the privilege of owning one.

Rolex Sea Dweller

The Sea Dweller is a testament to innovation. It’s an ultra-resistant deep-sea divers’ watch that’s waterproof to a depth of 1,220 metres. It’s fitted with a one-way valve to allow helium to escape during decompression.

A rotatable bezel allows divers to monitor dive and decompression times. The hands are filled with luminescent material that emits a blue glow for maximised visibility. The Sea Dweller is available in South Africa for R196,000 and more.

Rolex Day-Date

As with the Rolex Datejust, the Day-Date was a first in that it displayed both the date and the day. Rolex released the Day-Date in 1956. It has been a bestseller ever since.

It’s available in gold, silver and platinum casings. The more affordable, pre-owned watches sell for around R162,000.

Rolex Explorer

The Explorer was launched in 1953, the same year Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest. A version of the Explorer, the Space Dweller, was made exclusively for the Japanese market. It’s one of the rarest and most collectable watches in the Rolex portfolio.

A robust tool watch designed to withstand extreme conditions, the Explorer features built-in shock absorbers, luminous hands and hour markers, and a corrosion-resistant casing. Pre-owned watches currently sell for around R180,000.

Rolex GMT Master II

The GMT Master was designed in collaboration with long-haul Pan Am pilots in 1954. It featured a fourth hand that allowed pilots to set the watch to Greenwich Mean Time, and use the rotatable bezel to set to a second time zone.

Rolex launched the GMT Master II, a new and improved version of the watch, in the 1980s. This edition has the ability to simultaneously reflect three time zones. Prices for pre-owned pieces start at R246,000.

Rolex 1908

The all-new Rolex 1908 is a sleek, sophisticated gentleman’s dress watch. It has an elegant, perfectly round dial set in an 18 carat gold casing.

A fluted bezel, transparent case back and slender profile are iconic features of a watch that is the antithesis of the brand’s chunky sports models. A yellow or white gold Rolex 1908 sells box for R393,700 and R416,200, respectively.

Factors that affect Rolex prices in South Africa

As well as model, material, condition and provenance, there are other variables that drive Rolex prices up and down.

The fluctuating value of the Rand against a basket of currencies, including the Swiss Franc, plays a critical role in the price of new and pre-owned watches.

So does an imbalance between supply and demand. A shortage of Rolex watches, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen market demand far exceed supply.

Over the past three to four years, strong demand coupled with scarcity has resulted in the average price for a second-hand Rolex rising by up to 26%.

Use a Rolex watch to secure a loan with Lamna

Rolex watch prices in South Africa make the timepieces very good assets. You can use a Rolex watch to get an asset-backed loan through Lamna.

Lamna is a well-established and properly registered financial services provider, with branches across South Africa.

We offer loan terms that are transparent and fair, and our interest rates are competitive.

For more information about pawning a Rolex watch in South Africa, contact us on 086 111 2866 or simply complete and submit our online application form.