Rolex serial number lookup
Enter the serial number engraved on your watch and we date it instantly, using the same reference tables we use to date the vintage Rolex watches we auction every week.
Where to find the serial number
The serial sits between the lugs at the 6 o'clock side (remove the bracelet to see it); from the mid-2000s it is also engraved on the rehaut, the inner ring around the dial. Serials up to 1987 are sequential numbers; 1987–~2010 begin with a letter; after ~2010 they are randomized and cannot be dated.
From our Rolex archive
Other Rolex watches we have handled — shown for context; they are not the exact model on this page.
Rolex Oysterdate Precision 1972
Rolex Oysterdate Precision 1973
Rolex Oysterdate Precision 1963
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1967
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1967
Rolex Oysterdate Precision 1968
Rolex Oysterdate Precision 1968
Caliber production windows
| ≥ 20,000 | ~1926 |
| ≥ 23,000 | ~1927 |
| ≥ 26,000 | ~1929 |
| ≥ 29,000 | ~1930 |
| ≥ 31,000 | ~1932 |
| ≥ 34,000 | ~1935 |
| ≥ 41,000 | ~1937 |
| ≥ 44,000 | ~1938 |
| ≥ 71,000 | ~1939 |
| ≥ 100,000 | ~1940 |
| ≥ 144,000 | ~1942 |
| ≥ 231,000 | ~1943 |
| ≥ 270,000 | ~1944 |
| ≥ 303,000 | ~1945 |
| ≥ 368,000 | ~1946 |
| ≥ 529,000 | ~1947 |
| ≥ 629,000 | ~1948 |
| ≥ 809,000 | ~1949 |
| ≥ 985,000 | ~1950 |
| ≥ 1,012,000 | ~1955 |
| ≥ 1,215,000 | ~1956 |
| ≥ 1,300,000 | ~1957 |
| ≥ 1,400,000 | ~1958 |
| ≥ 1,500,000 | ~1959 |
| ≥ 1,600,000 | ~1960 |
| ≥ 1,700,000 | ~1961 |
| ≥ 1,800,000 | ~1962 |
| ≥ 1,900,000 | ~1963 |
| ≥ 2,075,000 | ~1964 |
| ≥ 2,240,000 | ~1965 |
| ≥ 2,410,000 | ~1966 |
| ≥ 2,590,000 | ~1967 |
| ≥ 2,850,000 | ~1968 |
| ≥ 3,200,000 | ~1969 |
| ≥ 3,500,000 | ~1970 |
| ≥ 3,800,000 | ~1971 |
| ≥ 4,100,000 | ~1972 |
| ≥ 4,400,000 | ~1973 |
| ≥ 4,700,000 | ~1974 |
| ≥ 5,000,000 | ~1975 |
| ≥ 5,300,000 | ~1976 |
| ≥ 5,600,000 | ~1977 |
| ≥ 5,900,000 | ~1978 |
| ≥ 6,200,000 | ~1979 |
| ≥ 6,500,000 | ~1980 |
| ≥ 6,900,000 | ~1981 |
| ≥ 7,400,000 | ~1982 |
| ≥ 8,000,000 | ~1983 |
| ≥ 8,700,000 | ~1984 |
| ≥ 9,400,000 | ~1985 |
| ≥ 9,900,000 | ~1986 |
| R– | ~1987 |
| L– | ~1989 |
| E– | ~1990 |
| X– | ~1991 |
| N– | ~1991 |
| C– | ~1992 |
| S– | ~1993 |
| W– | ~1995 |
| T– | ~1996 |
| U– | ~1997 |
| A– | ~1999 |
| P– | ~2000 |
| K– | ~2002 |
| Y– | ~2003 |
| F– | ~2004 |
| D– | ~2006 |
| Z– | ~2006 |
| M– | ~2008 |
| V– | ~2009 |
| G– | ~2010 |
Reference data: community-documented tables (verified June 2026) refined with our own archive of dated watches. Serial dating gives production dates, not sale dates.
FAQ
Where is the serial number on a Rolex watch?
On the caseback, engraved into the steel. On vintage pieces it can be faint — angle the watch against the light. If the caseback has been polished heavily, the serial may be partially lost.
How accurate is this lookup?
As accurate as the underlying system allows. Seiko and Citizen serials encode the production year and month directly, so with the caliber known the result is exact. Omega serials map to production ranges, so the year is approximate within one to three years.
Why do I get several possible years?
The serial only encodes the last digit of the year. The caliber's production window normally pins the decade — enter the caliber from your caseback and the result usually collapses to a single year.
Does this work for modern watches?
It is built for vintage. Omega serials after 2019 are randomized and cannot be dated by number at all. Recent Seiko and Citizen serials still encode year and month, but the decade ambiguity grows without a documented caliber window.
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