Rolex increases prices in U.S., Britain

Rolex raised prices in the United States and Britain by an average of about 2.5%, the latest increases for the top Swiss watch brand, according to analysts at Barclays.

The price of the most popular Rolex models rose between 1% and slightly more than 3% in Britain and the United States at the start of this year, according to Barclays, which tracks data in both markets. Rolex prices climbed by an average of about 2.6% in Britain and 2.2% in the United States, the analysts said.

Rolex often boosts prices once a year, typically in January, but it moved to raise the cost of models including the Submariner and Daytona for a second time in Britain and Europe in September and November in response to currency fluctuations and the strong U.S. dollar.

The latest increase shows the Swiss watchmaking giant believes it can lift prices to protect its margins amid rising inflation without hurting demand. Barclays said the price hike will benefit retailers including Watches of Switzerland, the biggest Rolex dealer in the United Kingdom, which gets about half its revenue from the brand.

A spokesperson for Rolex in Geneva didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Investors are well-accustomed to price rises being a key feature of this attractive industry, but it is encouraging to see this continue given that we believe it will have no discernible impact on volumes,” Barclays analysts Richard Taylor and Pallav Mittal said in a note to clients.

Rolex raised prices in most markets by about 3.5% last January. It applied an additional 5% lift in the U.K. and a similar amount in Europe in November.

(Bloomberg/Chris J. Ratcliffe) This photo shows the Rolex store in the renovated Battersea Power Station after it opened to the public in London in October.