Rolex announced their price hikes for 2020, and it might be surprising to know which Rolex timepieces have received the highest increase since 2019.  As a collector or a potential owner of a Rolex, one of the most important questions you might ask is "What Rolex will be the best investment in the near future?"  We know which Rolexes are flying off the shelves and are difficult to obtain in the market.  Certainly some Daytonas, GMT's and Submariners might fit that description.  If that were all that we needed to consider when looking at buying a new Rolex, this would be a very short article. 

One thing we need to consider is what will Rolex charge for a new Rolex coming out of the retail store.  So, what Rolex is selling Rolexes for is very very important.  This creates a baseline for Rolex prices.  If it were a stock market, this is the trend line that stock prices will often bounce off of.  Prices could go higher and lower, but that trend line has magical magnetism that attracts and moves the price in that direction. 

The Oystersteel DateJust

Unbelievably, the Oystersteel Datejust takes the prize for the biggest price hike of all Rolex timepieces.  Rolex raised the price an unbelievable 10.5 percent.  That is amazing.  Any stock broker would be ecstatic with a 10.5 percent gain.  Certainly waiting from December to January could take a real toll on any Rolex investor. 

Rolex has put a great deal of emphasis on the Datejust in recent years.  It is probably the most iconic of all Rolex timepieces.  Even though the Rolex Submariner, GMT and Daytona get much of the press, the Datejust is widely sold and worn.  The pricepoint comes at a reasonable $6,300.  That is a huge discount from the Gold Daytona coming in at 23,800.  This means new investors looking to own their first Rolex need not look further than the DateJust lineup. 

The Datejust not only has a huge array of dial colors, bezel options, bands, hour markers, and more.  The newest DateJust models even have the new caliber 3235 with the enhanced 70 hour power reserve.  You truly can't go wrong with a classic Datejust.  Even though you could go with Rolesor, or Gold DateJust models, it is the Oystersteel Datejust that takes the ring for the biggest value jump in the past year.

The Oystersteel Submariner

If I had to plunk some money down on a bet for which Rolex has the most value, the Sub would easily be one at the top of my list.  And that is without knowing what Rolex might think.  Clearly James Bond's favorite timepiece (in the Classic era) has quickly become one of the most sought after Rolex timepieces in the world.

However, Rolex is certainly giving the Submariner the love it deserves this year, by raising prices an outstanding 9.6%. 

The Submariner has had quite a bit of tweaks over the years, but hasn't received the new caliber with the higher power reserve yet.  I do expect a new Submariner release in the very near future - perhaps this year. 

However, the Oystersteel Submariner comes in the All Black version, the Green (hulk), and the Blue version.  It is a beautiful timepiece, no matter which color fits your personality most.  Waterproofness to 1000 feet, you can safely dive, swim, and do most water based activities without any fear of damaging this incredible professional timepiece. 

Besides choosing the coloring option, really it comes down to choosing the DATE aperture window with cyclops lens version or the NO-DATE version.  Certainly both options are excellent, but collectors tend to lean towards the no-date version. 

The Day-Date in White Gold

Rolex's third most hiked price goes to the Day-Date in White Gold.  This timepiece rose a cool 9% this year.  Although it looks like a highly coveted Oystersteel model, owners know that they will be wearing greater luxury with the white gold version of this classic Rolex model.  The band is Oystersteel, but the case is Rolesor (both Oystersteel and White Gold).  So, you get the luxury of gold and the durability of steel, while the same silver color gives it a uniform look. 

At 40 mm the Day-Date in White Gold is slightly smaller than the Oystersteel version, giving it a slightly lighter feel. 

Rolex upped the prices on there whole lineup with an average hike of about 7.5%.  However, it helps to know that Rolex is backing up their value with price hikes that help owners grow their investment's value over time.