Research · Edition 2026-11

Is a used Rolex cheaper in Japan?

On 10 November 2026, dealers in Japan asked 0.3% less than the worldwide median for the same used Rolex references, so on asking prices a used Rolex is not meaningfully cheaper in Japan. The same comparison put Singapore 16.9% and Hong Kong 9.8% below the worldwide median.

Data snapshot: 10 November 2026
Published: 11 November 2026
References in Japan: 134
Listings in Japan: 2,559
Dealers in Japan: 8
Edition: 2026-11

Japan against the worldwide median

For each Rolex reference with at least 5 listings in Japan and priced in at least 3 countries, the study set the median asking price in Japan against that reference's worldwide median. The middle of those 134 comparisons was −0.3%, with a 95% range of −1.3% to +0.5%. 71 of the 134 references had a lower median in Japan than worldwide.

Japan is one of 11 of the 16 ranked countries whose asking prices sat within 5% of the worldwide median either way, a band rather than a league table. Under the study's five robustness checks, Japan's figure stayed between −0.9% and +0.1%. Only Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong had a whole 95% range more than 5% below the worldwide median.

Japan and five other markets, same references, 10 November 2026

Market	Gap vs worldwide median	95% range	References	Listings	Dealers	Largest dealer's share
Singapore	−16.9%	−19.0% to −13.8%	27	266	6	52%
Taiwan	−12.9%	−14.9% to −11.9%	34	262	5	32%
Hong Kong	−9.8%	−12.1% to −7.1%	46	322	5	30%
Japan	−0.3%	−1.3% to +0.5%	134	2,559	8	48%
Germany	+1.3%	+0.1% to +3.3%	134	1,758	7	46%
United States	+3.4%	+2.4% to +5.0%	134	2,110	15	20%

Markets shown: the three whose whole 95% range is more than 5% below the worldwide median, and the three ranked markets with the most compared listings (Japan, Germany and the United States). Each market's references are those its own dealers stock, so the sets differ. All 16 ranked countries are in the study.

Six well-known references in Japan

The study's example references: for each of the six model families with the most compared listings, the reference with the most compared listings among those priced in at least 4 countries. Single references move further from the worldwide median than the country figure does, partly because one reference number covers dials priced very differently.

Reference	Worldwide median	Japan
126334Datejust	$16,137	$15,863−1.7% · 32 listings
126000Oyster Perpetual	$11,264	$13,828+22.8% · 30 listings
16610Submariner	$10,968	$11,088+1.1% · 46 listings
116520Cosmograph Daytona	$25,396	$26,984+6.3% · 34 listings
126720VTNRGMT-Master II	$18,350	$18,321−0.2% · 15 listings
228238Day-Date	$59,222	$61,269+3.5% · 18 listings

Median asking prices in US dollars at the exchange rates of 10 November 2026, with the gap against the worldwide median and the number of listings in Japan.

Tax for visitors to Japan

Japan's standard consumption tax rate is 10%.¹ The study recorded that Japanese dealers' listed prices mostly include it; whether prices elsewhere include VAT or GST was not recorded. So the figures above compare listed prices as they stand, not what a visitor pays after a refund.

For purchases on or after 1 November 2026, visitors buying at a tax-free shop pay the tax-inclusive price, and an amount equal to the consumption tax is refunded once customs confirms on departure that the goods are leaving Japan.² The customs check must take place within 90 days of the purchase.³ The refund is paid by the shop or its refund service provider, and methods vary by shop.⁴ For an item priced at ¥1 million or more before tax, customs may ask to see its certificate of authenticity or warranty.³

Not every dealer is a tax-free shop. Ask the dealer before buying whether it offers tax-free sales and whether that watch qualifies.

Bringing a watch home may make it liable to import duty and VAT or sales tax in your own country, and duty-free allowances differ. Check with your own customs authority before you travel. These notes describe official rules; they are not tax or legal advice, and the dealer should confirm what applies to a given watch.

Sources

National Tax Agency of Japan: consumption tax rates, read on 11 November 2026
Japan Tourism Agency: what is the refund method?, read on 11 November 2026
Japan Tourism Agency: questions from travellers (refund method), read on 11 November 2026
Japan Tourism Agency: regarding refunds, read on 11 November 2026

What this does and does not mean

Asking prices, not sale prices. Dealers may sell below them, in Japan or anywhere else.
One day, one set of exchange rates. The figures are for 10 November 2026, converted to US dollars at that day's rates. A move in the yen shifts Japan's figure by about the same amount.
Sample. Japan's figure rests on 134 references and 2,559 listings from 8 dealers; the largest holds 48% of them.
Box and papers are not controlled. Dealers in Japan do not state whether a watch comes with its box and papers, so complete and incomplete sets are mixed.
Not a verdict on every watch. Some references were cheaper in Japan and some dearer; the figure is the middle of them.
Frozen, not live. These are the study's figures for 10 November 2026 and will not change. Rolex prices by country is recomputed every day with looser thresholds, so its figures on any later day differ from these.