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Rolex Numbers

   

Serial Number List

    
             
    28,000     1926 800,000      1958 R000,000    1987½    
    30,430     1927 1,100,000   1959 L000,001    1989    
    32,960     1928 1,402,000   1960 E000,001    1990½    
    35,390     1929 1,480,000   1961 X000,001    1991½

 
    37,820     1930 1,558,000   1962 N000,001   1991¾  
    40,250     1931 1,636,000   1963 C000,001   1992¼  
    42,680     1932 1,714,000   1964 S000,001   1993¾  
    45,000     1934 1,792,000   1965 W000,001   1995  
    63,000     1935 1,871,000   1966 T000,001   1995½  
    81,000     1936 2,163,900   1967 U000,001  1997½  
    99,000     1937 2,426,800   1968 A000,001   1999  
    117,000    1938 2,689,700   1969 P000,001    2000½  
    135,000    1939 2,952,600   1970 K000,001   2001  
    164,600    1940 3,215,500   1971 Y000,001   2003  
    194,200    1941 3,478,400   1972 F000,001   2004  
    223,800    1942 3,741,300   1973 D000,001   2005    
    253,400    1943 4,004,200   1974 Z000,001    2007    
    283,000    1944 4,267,100   1975 M000,001   2007¾    
    348,100    1945 4,539,000   1976 V000,001    2008¾    
    413,200    1946 5,006,000   1977      
    478,300    1947 5,482,000   1978      
    543,400    1948 5,959,000   1979      
    608,500    1949 6,430,000   1980      
    673,600    1950 6,910,000   1981      
    738,700    1951 7,386,000   1982      
    803,800    1952 7,862,000   1983      
    950,000    1953 8,338,000   1984      
    999,999    1954 8,814,000   1985      
    200,000    1955 9,290,000   1986      
    400,000    1956 9,766,000   1987      
    600,000    1957 9,999,999    1987½      
             
  PLEASE NOTE: In mid 1954 Rolex went back to 100,000 instead of 1,100,000 on case numbers for the Oyster watch.

When Rolex reached the 999,999 production serial number in the early 1950s they restarted the production serial numbers at 100,000 rather than begin a 7 digit number at 1,000,000.  During this period Rolex was also putting a date code on the inside of the case backs, so confusing serial numbers can sometimes have their production date determined.  Look for the Roman numeral I, II, III, or IV for the quarter and two Arabic numerals for the year (e.g. IV55 is the 4th quarter of 1955).  

In the late 1950s, Rolex again reached the 999,999 number and they started their 7 digit numbering system at 1,000,000 for production serials.  This continued until the 1990s when production serials reached 9,999,999.

Rather than begin an 8 digit production serial, Rolex instead began their serials with a letter prefix such as R, L, E, and X (ROLEX without an O which could be mistaken for a zero).  N, C, and S came out during the early to mid 1990s.  W, T, and U came a little later.  The latest letter prefixes are all running concurrently.  Only Rolex knows the exact date that any watch was actually produced.  

 

  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rolex Reference Numbers

    
             
  Rolex model numbers are four, five, or six digits. The first two or three numbers describes the type of watch. With five digit model numbers, the fourth number describes the type of bezel (with some exceptions) and the fifth number describes the material from which the case is made.  
   
   
  Type of Watch        
  Oyster Perpetual Date - 15, 150   Oyster Perpetual - 10, 140  
  Oyster Perpetual Date (Older) - 65, 66   Oyster Perpetual Chronometer - 142  
  Oyster Perpetual Date Chronometer - 15,150   Oyster Perpetual Datejust - 16, 160  
  Oysterquartz Datejust - 170   Oyster Perpetual Day-Date  - 18, 180, 182, 183  
  Oysterquartz Date - 190   Midsize Oyster Perpetual Datejust - 682  
  Submariner No Date - 55, 140, 6538   Lady Oyster Perpetual - 67, 671  
  Submariner - 16, 166, 168   Lady Oyster Perpetual Datejust - 65, 69, 691, 692  
  Sea Dweller - 16, 166   Lady Oyster Perpetual Date - 65, 69, 691, 692  
  Thunderbird Bezel DJ - 16, 162   Air - King - 55, 140  
  Daytona Manual Wind - 62   Yacht - Master - 166, 686, 696  
  Daytona Cosmograph - 165   Explorer - 165  
  GMT Master - 167      
           
  Type of Bezel, 4th Number      
  0 - Polished / Smooth   3 - Fluted  

6 - Rotating Bezel

  
  1 - Finely Engine Turned 4 - Hand Crafted      
  2 - Engine Turned   5 - Pyramid      
             
  Case Material, 5th Number        
  0 - Stainless Steel (SS)   4 - SS & White Gold  

8 - 18k Yellow Gold

  
  1 - Yellow Gold Filled   5 - Gold Shell Over SS   9 - 18k White Gold  
  2 - White Gold Filled   6 - Platinum      
  3 - SS & Yellow Gold   7 - 14k Yellow Gold      
             
  For example on a four digit model number      
  1601 - Datejust, all steel, steel and gold, or all gold      
 

Thus, all three datejusts have the same model number (1601).

      
             
 

For example on a five digit model number

      
  16200 - Datejust, all steel, smooth bezel      
  16220 - Datejust, all steel, engine turned bezel      
  16234 - Datejust, all steel, white gold fluted bezel      
  16203 - Datejust, gold and steel, 18k yellow gold smooth bezel      
  16233 - Datejust, gold and steel, 18kyellow gold fluted bezel      
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
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