The pre-owned watch market operates continuously, but its peak periods align with the calendar. Every Valentine’s Day sees a notable increase in luxury gift purchases. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans were expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on the holiday in 2025, with $6.5 billion allocated to jewelry and watches, surpassing the expenditure on flowers, candy, and cards combined. This Valentine’s Day spending creates a brief opportunity for sellers to secure better offers on luxury watches that might otherwise remain unsold for months, even with the rising trend of affordable Rolex alternatives.
Marketplaces specializing in luxury items witness the surge first. The RealReal, the largest authenticated resale marketplace globally, advises consignors that diamond jewelry, and thus prestige watches, sell well on Valentine’s Day and Christmas, marking February 14 as one of the few times each year when both buyer traffic and selling prices increase simultaneously.
Specialist watch sites show a similar trend. Bob’s Watches curates a “Rolex Valentine’s Day Collection” and releases gift guides each year because inquiries and conversions increase leading up to the holiday. Even bullion and estate jewelry buyers like American Gold & Diamond acknowledge Valentine’s Day as the prime time to sell diamond pieces.
For top dollar, sell during Valentine’s and Christmas holidays
The December holiday rush transforms gift shopping into a spending surge, with jewelry, including watches, riding at the forefront. Mastercard’s SpendingPulse reports that U.S. holiday sales grew by 3.8% in 2024, with jewelry sales rising by 4%. A significant portion of holiday spending, 10%, occurred in the five days leading up to Christmas Eve. For those selling high-end watches, this last-minute surge means more buyers with larger budgets searching for gifts when listings are scarce. The Yuletide season is one of the few occasions when workers consider purchasing gifts for their employers.
Resale platforms corroborate this trend. The RealReal’s seller guide highlights Christmas, along with Valentine’s Day, as one of the two peak moments when diamond jewelry and luxury watches “sell well,” driven by a mix of emotion and limited supply. On the dealer side, WatchGuys reported a 33% increase in December sales in 2023, as noted by City A.M., and anticipated even more activity in 2024, with buyers seeking deals on Rolex, Cartier, and Patek Philippe before the holiday season concludes.
To secure the best offers as a seller, consider listing just after Thanksgiving. This provides time for authentication and photography before the holiday rush. Since jewelry gifts are typically purchased in the final days before Christmas, listing by early December positions your watch in front of serious buyers when inventory is low, and demand is high. Missing this window might result in waiting a full year.
Bonus days to resell luxury watches
Savvy sellers don’t just wait for major holidays; they capitalize on other dates that can still boost demand for luxury watches. Brand moments are a prime example. When the Victoria & Albert Museum launched its significant Cartier exhibition in April 2025, running through November, over 350 items, including watches and clocks, dominated social media and fashion coverage, bringing Cartier back into the limelight.
The second significant moment occurs during the watch industry’s launch season. Every April, Watches & Wonders Geneva becomes the watch world’s equivalent of fashion week, and buyers respond quickly. In 2024, the event attracted a record 49,000 visitors and over 10,000 retailer meetings, with organizers observing a sharp increase in direct client orders.
When brands like Rolex and Cartier unveil new models, collectors often sell older pieces to make space (and finances) for the latest releases. Listing a similar pre-owned watch during or right after W&W allows private sellers to capture that wave of upgrade traffic while major retailers are still low on inventory. Additionally, there are calendar events tied to gifting and significant spending. In the U.S., for instance, Mother’s Day generates around $6.8 billion in jewelry sales (including watches), according to the National Retail Federation, a trend that remains robust even as more Americans choose to remain child-free.
