Most Popular Wristwatch Case Material Analysis
An analysis of pre-owned watch sales data reveals that steel remains the dominant wristwatch case material, accounting for 69% of sales and 86% when combined with its bi-metallic variants. While steel offers volume, precious metals, particularly white gold, command higher average selling prices, indicating a market trend towards premiumization for higher-value watches.
- Steel accounts for 69% of watch sales.
- Steel and its bi-metallic variants account for 86% of watch sales.
- Titanium accounts for 4% of watch sales.
- Ceramic accounts for 2% of watch sales.
- Bronze accounts for 1% of watch sales.
- Precious metals account for 6.82% of watch sales.
- White gold has the highest average selling price at approximately £18,200.
- Steel, titanium, and bronze have comparable affordable average sale prices at approximately £4,800.
Steel is the most popular material among collectors, but brands are incentivized to pursue premium materials for higher profit margins.
The discontinuation of the steel Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 and its replacement by a gold version exemplifies the trend towards premium materials.
White gold is outperforming platinum in terms of average selling price.
Watches above CHF 50,000 accounted for 37% of export value in 2025 despite being only 1.4% of volume, highlighting the impact of premiumization.