Rolexes are everywhere. So why can’t you buy one in a boutique?
by Bani McSpedden · Australian Financial ReviewBani McSpeddenWatch editor
May 20, 2026 – 5.00am
At this year’s Watches & Wonders fair – the global showcase for luxury timepieces – one brand was making as many headlines for the models it was deleting as for those it debuted.
Rolex currently accounts for some 30 per cent of the Swiss watch industry by turnover and is bigger than the next seven brands combined, thanks to wholesale retail sales exceeding 11 billion Swiss francs ($19.5 billion). No wonder it enjoys regal status and is known as “the crown” of the industry. But that’s only part of the story.
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Bani McSpeddenWatch editorBani McSpedden is watch editor of The Australian Financial Review. Connect with Bani on Twitter. Email Bani at bani@bigpond.com.au
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