Rolex Waitlists Are Finally Shrinking in 2025

For much of the past decade, the idea of walking into an authorized dealer and buying a Rolex sports model felt like a fantasy. But recent data from WatchCharts, paired with the constantly updated “AD Wait Time Megathread” on r/rolex, shows that wait times for models like the Submariner, GMT-Master II, and Explorer are shorter than they’ve been in years. The reports are anecdotal rather than official, but the trend is hard to miss: the frenzy has cooled, demand has normalized, and as of mid-2025, Rolex availability is improving in a way that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.

First, a Reality Check on Rolex “Waitlists”

Image Source: Bloomberg

Before we dive into the numbers, let’s set the record straight: Rolex ADs don’t have formal “waitlists.” Customers register interest, and authorized dealers allocate watches based on their own criteria—typically factoring in purchase history and whether a buyer is likely to keep the watch rather than flip it. There’s no linear queue where you simply wait your turn. That said, looking at reported wait times over several years still gives us a reasonable idea of how availability is shifting.

What the Data Shows

Figure Source: Coronet

WatchCharts’ study tracked median wait times reported by buyers on Reddit from 2020 to 2024. The Submariner’s wait time peaked at 105 days in 2023 but dropped to 60 days in 2024. The GMT-Master II, which hit 180 days in 2022, was around 90 days in 2024. The biggest change was in the Explorer, which saw wait times fall by nearly 66% over the past two years, from 90 days in 2022 to just 31 days in 2024.

This data isn’t flawless—it’s pulled from anecdotal reports, not AD inventory logs—but the trend is hard to ignore.

What about 2025?

To check whether that pattern is holding in 2025, one of the best resources is the ongoing “AD Wait Time Megathread” on r/rolex. It’s updated constantly with firsthand reports from buyers across the U.S. and abroad, logging the exact watch, purchase date, wait time, location, and purchase history. While it’s anecdotal and unverified, the sheer volume of entries gives a useful picture of what people are experiencing right now.

A quick scan of recent September 2025 posts shows how wide the range can be:

- Submariner Date (NYC): 3 weeks, no purchase history

- Explorer I 40mm (SoCal): 12 days, no purchase history

- Air-King (New England): 9 days, no purchase history

- Explorer 36 (Midwest): 5 months, milestone event buyer

- Daytona “Panda” 126500LN (East Coast): ~2 years, light history

- Day-Date 40, Green Ombré dial (DFW area): 4 months, one Omega purchase

- No-Date Sub (Germany): ~5 months, OP + Air-King purchase history

These snapshots reinforce what the WatchCharts study suggested: core sport models like the Submariner, Explorer, and Air-King are increasingly attainable, often with waits measured in weeks or months. At the same time, the Daytona and select precious-metal pieces remain in a different league entirely.

Link to thread: AD Wait Time Megathread on r/rolex

What’s Behind Shorter Wait Times?

Image Source: Sutherland Farrelly

The most obvious reason is cooling demand. From 2020 to 2022, Rolex demand was at an all-time high. Pandemic-era spending, social media hype, and watch speculation created the perfect storm, pushing secondary market prices through the roof. People were willing to wait years, and ADs had far more demand than supply.

Fast forward to 2024, and the secondary market corrected. Many Rolex models that once sold for double retail were trading much closer to MSRP. Flippers moved on, and with demand normalizing, watches naturally became easier to acquire. That stability has held through 2025, even with Rolex’s modest 3% U.S. price increase on May 1. For steel sports models in particular, the adjustment was small, signaling that Rolex wanted to maintain momentum without reigniting a frenzy.

Is Rolex Producing More Watches?

Image Source: Rolex

A common assumption is that Rolex has ramped up production, but that’s unlikely to be the main factor—at least not yet. Rolex’s massive new Bulle production facility won’t be complete until 2029, and while the brand has opened temporary production sites in the meantime, the idea that these sites have already had a major impact on availability seems unlikely (though I could be wrong).

Rolex is a notoriously secretive company, and while they may have gradually increased output, the biggest change here is demand—not supply.

What This Means for Buyers

Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi on Curved End Rubber Strap

If you’ve been waiting years for a Submariner or GMT-Master II, this is good news. These watches aren’t sitting in cases, but they’re also no longer impossible to get. That said, the most in-demand models—Daytonas, Sky-Dwellers, and certain GMTs—are still difficult to buy, and AD relationships still matter. The shift in 2025 is that the middle of the catalog—the Explorer, the Datejust, the Submariner in its most standard forms—now feels attainable again, without the once-inevitable years-long delay.

Final Thoughts

The Rolex market isn’t what it was two years ago. Wait times are dropping, demand is stabilizing, and while Rolex watches are still hard to buy at retail, they’re not as impossible as they once were. By fall 2025, the frenzy has clearly cooled. The most hyped watches will always be elusive, but for buyers who are patient, realistic, and willing to build a relationship with their dealer, the landscape looks better than it has in years.

Header Image Source: Oneluxe