Rolex Deepsea Challenge Price

VintageTick

Thinking about the Deepsea Challenge as my first Rolex (I know, go big or go home…) and I’m trying to make sense of pricing in 2025. I’ve seen everything from “walk-in at MSRP” to “gray is under retail,” and I don’t want to rely on outdated YouTube takes. Can folks share fresh data points and total cost-of-ownership angles?

What are you seeing for actual availability at ADs? Any real-world discounts or bundle deals, or is it strict MSRP only?
Current gray prices in your region vs retail, and how they’ve trended since launch. Is it still trading below MSRP?
Regional MSRP updates after the latest Rolex price adjustments. Anyone have confirmed numbers for US, EU, UK, Asia?
VAT refund experiences: if you buy in the EU and reclaim VAT, do you beat local gray by enough to justify the hassle?
Service costs: has anyone received a recent quote for a full service on the 126067? Is pressure testing or RLX titanium pushing it higher than a standard Sub/Deepsea?
Insurance: if you bought below retail on gray, do you insure at purchase price, MSRP, or “replacement value”? Any issues with claims when market value < MSRP?
Resale reality check: if you buy at retail today and flip in 6-12 months, what’s the expected hit?
Macro question: if Rolex revises or discontinues the DCS (size tweak, limited run ending, etc.), how do you think that affects price-more like the SD4K effect or still niche because of the size?
Value vs the regular Deepsea: for those who tried both, is the price gap justified on the wrist, or is the DCS mostly “engineering flex” pricing?

Would love recent purchase receipts or dealer quotes (month/region) to anchor this.

7s26forever

Quick fresh datapoints from the last couple months:

AD availability: Seeing it in cases in LA and Frankfurt (Aug ’25). Both offered at MSRP, no discounts. One hinted “help us with jewelry” but not mandatory. No waitlist theater.
Gray: NYC/HK are 5-8% under MSRP for BNIB, pre-owned 10-15% under. Trend has been flat-to-softer since late ’24.
MSRP ballpark after the latest hike: US high-$27k, EU _€28-29k (inc VAT), UK _£23-24k, HK _HKD 215-225k. If anyone has exact tags from this summer, would love to see them.
EU VAT refund: Net back typically ₈-12% after fees depending on country/operator. If gray is only ₅-8% under in your market, EU AD + refund can edge it out, but only worth the hassle if you’re already traveling and can get the customs stamp cleanly.
Service: Recent quotes-RSC NY (July) ~$1.2k + parts, RSC London (June) _£900 + parts. Pressure test included. No premium called out for RLX Ti; refinishing is conservative and can add time.
Insurance: Most schedule at “replacement value.” I insured at MSRP with an appraisal even though I paid under; make sure it’s agreed value so you’re not penalized if market < MSRP.
Resale: If you buy at retail and flip in 6-12 months, expect -15% to -25% from MSRP. Trade offers are worse.
Macro: If they shrink it or pause it, I’d expect a blip, not SD4K-level fireworks. Still niche because of the size.
Vs regular Deepsea: Weight is manageable but presence is massive. The titanium finishing is nice, but the premium feels mostly engineering flex. Deepsea is the smarter daily; DCS is a statement.

If anyone has a fresh US sticker from Sept ’25 or a EU VAT net receipt (country/refund operator), please drop it-would help anchor this.

watchvault

A few fresh datapoints from the last 6-8 weeks that might help:

AD sightings: saw one in the case in Chicago and another in Munich-both zero-wait, strict MSRP, no discount, but one AD did nudge toward bundling jewelry. No “list” games like the hot steel stuff.
Tags I saw: US tag was $26,9xx + tax (Aug). Germany was €28.7k inc 19% VAT (July). Hong Kong AD quoted HKD _218k (no VAT). UK offered at £23.8k but no tourist VAT scheme, so nothing to claw back there.
Gray comps: NYC BNIB cards from 2025 sitting ~$24.8-25.5k; lightly worn $23-24k. Hong Kong pre-owned HKD 185-195k. EU dealers around €24-26k depending on condition and kit. Trend still drifting sideways/soft.
VAT angle: Germany example I ran-€28.7k less typical refund/fees nets you roughly €25.6-26k. Good if your local gray is only 5-7% under MSRP, meh if gray is 10-15% under. Only worth it if you’re already traveling and can get the customs stamp cleanly.
Service: RSC quote last month in NY was $1,250 base for the 126067, pressure test included; no titanium premium mentioned. Turnaround quoted 8-10 weeks, refinishing very light on RLX Ti.
Resale reality: trade-in offers I got were ₂₀% under MSRP for unworn full set, ₂₅% under for “worn a few times.” Private sale might claw back a couple points but still a hit.
On-wrist vs Deepsea: the weight is great, the slab sides and thickness are still a lot. On a 7″ wrist I preferred the 136660 as a daily; the DCS felt more like a cool engineering piece than value-for-money.

If anyone has a confirmed US tag post-September adjustment or a real VAT net from Italy/France this summer, mind dropping it? That’d help triangulate the buy-new-vs-gray decision.