While you were busy reveling and ringing in the new year, Rolex was discretely changing its price tags. Most watches now cost a modest 3-6% more than previously, according to the USD prices listed on the Rolex website. For most models, this means several hundred dollars more.

If, for instance, you wanted a 2019 GMT Master II “Batman” — and you were somehow special enough to be able to get one at retail price — you would have saved $450 by having bought it in December. (It’s normal for brands to increase prices over time, and no one needs to panic. But we’re all about ruining your Wednesday mornings, so there ya go.)

The jump in MSRP may feel slightly ironic to many since you typically can’t even buy steel Rolex sport watches at retail, anyway. Buyers have to get on long waiting lists (the requisite for which is typically that one has previously purchased — wait for it — other Rolexes), and the watches often trade above MSRP on the secondary market almost immediately following their release.

By all means, don’t hate the player — hate the game. Rolex isn’t in the business of making inexpensive watches to begin with, and you can’t exactly blame ’em for hiking prices. That said, here’s how purchasing examples of popular Rolex models will hurt your wallet even more in 2020:

Rolex Submariner “No Date” Oystersteel 114060 $7,500 $7,900

Rolex GMT Master II “Batman” Oystersteel 126710BLNR $9,250 $9,700

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Oystersteel 116500LN $12,400 $13,150

Zen Love is Gear Patrol’s watch writer. He avoids the snooty side of the watch world, and seeks out food in NYC that resembles what he loved while living in Asia for over a decade.

More by Zen Love | Follow on Instagram · Contact via Email