Luxury apartment ‘rightsizing’ boom reshapes prestige property market
Wealthy Aussies are swapping large family homes for high-end apartments, with sales of prestige units tripling over the past decade.
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Australia’s prestige apartment market is booming as wealthy homeowners increasingly choose to “rightsize” into luxury apartments rather than remain in large family houses.
New research from McGrath shows the number of prestige apartments sold in 2025 has tripled over the past decade as high-net-worth buyers prioritise lifestyle, security and convenience.
McGrath chief executive John McGrath said the shift reflects a growing preference among affluent Australians for luxury apartment living.
“Prestige apartments have been the strongest market segment in the last few years as high-net-worth individuals choose luxury, security and lifestyle in apartments over houses,” he said.
“Demand has increased dramatically as luxury apartments have gone to a whole new level in design, finishes and amenities.”
Queensland has led the surge in prestige apartment sales, accounting for 43 per cent of East Coast transactions in 2025. New South Wales followed with 41 per cent, while Victoria made up the remaining 16 per cent.
Southeast Queensland leads the trend
Southeast Queensland has become a particularly popular destination for luxury apartment buyers seeking waterfront lifestyles with convenient access to major cities.
Mr McGrath said the region’s beaches and rivers had provided the ideal setting for a new generation of high-end residential developments.
Prices for newly built prestige apartments have also significantly outperformed established units over the past five years. New apartments on the Gold Coast have surged 88 per cent, compared with 60 per cent in Brisbane, 34 per cent in Sydney and 32 per cent in Melbourne.
Apartments getting larger
Developers have responded by building larger apartments with more bedrooms and premium amenities to appeal to affluent downsizers.
McGrath’s national head of research, Michelle Ciesielski, said the emerging rightsizing trend had reshaped the type of apartments being built across Australia.
“After identifying the emerging rightsizing trend in Australia back in 2020, there has been more than double the delivery of apartments with three or more bedrooms, and the average apartment built was one-third larger,” she said.
Hotel-style amenities and premium parking
Buyers are also increasingly seeking features previously associated with luxury hotels, including pools, gyms and high-end shared facilities.
More than two-thirds of residential towers across the CBDs of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane now include both a pool and gym.
Parking has also become a major selling point in the prestige apartment market. Research shows Sydney apartments with more than four car spaces command a 62 per cent price premium compared with those with just one space.
Despite strong demand, developers continue to face rising construction costs, labour shortages and higher material prices when delivering new luxury projects.
Even so, McGrath said demand for prestige apartment living is expected to remain strong as wealthy Australians look for sophisticated homes that offer space, security and a lifestyle-driven alternative to traditional houses.
BNW Developments has established a Sydney presence, joining Arada and Sobha Realty among the growing number of UAE developers pursuing Australian buyers and development opportunities.
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The Perpetual Padellone draws its name from the coveted reference 8171 while introducing an instantaneous complete annual calendar to Rolex’s modern Perpetual collection.
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Rolex has reached into one of the most fascinating corners of its archive for a watch that expands the brand’s contemporary Perpetual collection.
The new Perpetual Padellone takes its name from reference 8171, the complete-calendar Rolex known to collectors by the Italian nickname “Padellone”. The historical model is celebrated for its unusual combination of calendar information, moonphase display and elegant proportions—qualities that distinguished it from the sports watches now most closely associated with the marque.
The modern interpretation displays the date, day, month and moonphase alongside the time. Rolex describes the mechanism as an instantaneous complete annual calendar, meaning its indications are designed to change in a coordinated fashion while requiring correction only for the calendar’s exception periods, subject to the operating instructions.
Its importance lies not simply in adding another complication. Rolex’s current identity is built on refinement through repetition: familiar cases, bracelets and functions improved across generations. A Padellone-inspired calendar broadens that vocabulary and gives collectors a dressier, more poetic counterpoint to the brand’s professional models.
The challenge will be expectation. Any watch invoking reference 8171 arrives under the weight of auction history and collector mythology. The strongest modern revivals acknowledge that past without reproducing it mechanically. Rolex’s official description points to that balance, positioning the watch as a continuation of the earlier model’s spirit rather than a replica.
Australian price, allocation and delivery will be crucial. Demand for significant new Rolex references typically exceeds immediate supply, and availability can vary between authorised dealers. Prospective buyers should treat overseas pricing or secondary-market premiums cautiously until local retail information is confirmed.
For now, the Perpetual Padellone stands as one of Rolex’s most intellectually interesting recent releases: a technically ambitious watch that reminds collectors the company’s history extends well beyond the dive watch and chronograph.
Fact box
Model: Rolex Perpetual Padellone
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, day, month and moonphase
Complication: instantaneous complete annual calendar
Historical inspiration: Rolex reference 8171, nicknamed Padellone
Set on one of the city’s last absolute riverfront sites, The Riversdale by Mosaic combines irreplaceable waterfront ownership with one of Brisbane’s most significant residential opportunities.
The grand harbourside residence combines sweeping Sydney Heads views, resort-style entertaining and refined designer finishes with a reported $36 million price guide.
