The first new Rolex Submariner Date Desk Clock just sold for how much at auction?!
Zach BlassRolex designs selling for over retail on the secondary market is nothing new. Anything Rolex commands a secondary market premium, or at the very least holds its value. But, recently, Rolex broke new ground for the brand, quietly launching a new 80mm Submariner Date Desk Clock ref. 909010LN in stainless steel. In rare form for Rolex, this accessory, for lack of a better phrase, is even listed officially on its website in its online catalogue. Its retail price is already quite high, offered at US$10,270. For reference, that is only US$380 less than the retail price of the Rolex Submariner Date ref. 126610LN (the actual current catalogue watch, the desk clock is modelled after). So, just how badly would someone want the new Rolex Desk Clock? We now know the answer.
Though the Submariner Date Desk Clock ref. 909010LN was quietly launched months ago; the public’s broader awareness of its existence really began in late October of this year when news outlets caught wind of it. So, it is quite a quick turnaround for its auction debut to have been so soon. Rolex flipping is rampant in the space, but how much would someone stand to profit from flipping a Rolex Desk Clock? On the auction platform Bezel, after a week of bids, with 50 total bids placed, the final result clocks in at US$17,750.
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The retail price of the Submariner Date Desk Clock ref. 909010LN amounts to US$10,270, which means that the winner of the lot paid US$7,480 more than its retail price. Just the US$7K premium alone could be used to buy a top-notch watch, but with the US$17,750 spent total, you could more than safely buy the actual Rolex Submariner Date ref. 126610LN or even some GMT-Master II watches – and that includes secondary market listings.
In fairness, there is precedent for high spending on such clocks from more hyped, premium, and collectable brands. For example, six F.P. Journe clocks have been sold on the auction platform Loupe This, with five of the six results ranging from about US$4.5K to US$8.3K. However, one managed to hammer off for an astounding US$32,450 last year.
It remains to be seen how scarce the opportunity is to purchase one of these Rolex Desk Clocks, but I will be very curious to see the reactions from WIS worldwide. Will they rage in discontent? Or will they point out the collectability of such clocks and understand, with some reluctance, the premium?