The Hottest Watches of 2023, By the Numbers

You guessed it: in 2023, this title belongs to the MoonSwatch. The data is a little more interesting if you calculate this metric over the last five years. The MoonSwatch is still in the top three, which also includes the Seiko 5 Sport and Seiko Prospex lines. For people looking for a starter watch, you really can’t go wrong with any of these three collections.

Which specific reference of the Rolex Daytona has sold the most by volume in 2023?

Rolex Daytona 116500LN (White Dial)

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. The reverse Panda Daytona is the holy grail piece for many collectors. The watch is also very difficult to buy directly from Rolex because of how many people throw themselves at the waiting list for this reference. And in 2023, this specific watch is really only available on places like Chrono24 because Rolex revamped the Daytona line, putting this reference out of production. So for all the people trying to buy what is likely their dream watch, the gray market is the only place to do that.

Which specific reference of the Patek Philippe Nautilus has sold the most by volume in 2023?

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726A-001

OK, not exactly what I expected here! The equivalent of the reverse Panda Daytona would have been the discontinued 5711 in steel. Instead, the most traded Nautilus is the more complicated 5726 that comes with an annual calendar and moon phase complication.

Change in volume of transactions on Chrono24 year-over-year?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve heard a lot about how many more people are interested in watch collecting. The hobby has apparently exploded and taken prices and demand up along with it. I wanted to see how that was reflected on a marketplace like Chrono24. The platform is also feeling the effects according to its own data. In 2022, compared to 2021, Chrono24 saw a 20% increase in volume and a 30% jump in GMV (meaning: the total dollar amount of those transactions). While that doesn’t necessarily sound like a Wile E. Coyote Acme bomb-level explosion, it’s certainly a healthy bump.