Free decoder · 1926 to today
Type the serial number from your Rolex and see roughly when it was made. The decoder covers all three numbering systems Rolex has used: sequential numbers from 1926, letter codes from 1987 and random serials from 2010.
Serials counted upward from about 28,000 in 1926. Numbering passed 999,999 around 1954 and restarted, reaching about 9,999,999 by 1987. A number under 1,000,000 therefore fits two different decades.
From late 1987 each serial started with a letter that changed roughly every year or two — R, L, E, X, N, C, S, W, T, U, A, P, K, Y, F, D, Z, M, V and finally G.
Since about 2010 serials are eight scrambled letters and digits, such as 3F8Y2741. They can't be dated, which was Rolex's intention: the watch's age now comes from its papers and reference.
The first serial number seen in each year. A serial between two rows was made in the earlier year.
| Year | Serial starts at | System |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 28,000 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1927 | 30,430 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1928 | 32,960 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1929 | 33,000 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1930 | 35,365 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1931 | 38,100 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1932 | 40,920 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1933 | 43,739 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1934 | 46,558 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1935 | 49,377 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1936 | 52,196 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1937 | 55,015 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1938 | 57,834 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1939 | 71,224 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1940 | 99,775 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1941 | 106,047 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1942 | 143,509 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1943 | 230,878 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1944 | 269,561 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1945 | 302,459 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1946 | 367,946 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1947 | 529,163 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1948–1952 | 628,840 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1953 | 855,726 | Sequential (first run) |
| 1955 | 97,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1956 | 133,061 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1957 | 224,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1958 | 328,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1959 | 399,453 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1960 | 516,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1961 | 643,153 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1962 | 744,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1963 | 824,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1964 | 1,008,889 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1965 | 1,107,452 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1966 | 1,368,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1967 | 1,626,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1968 | 1,890,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1969 | 2,164,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1970 | 2,426,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1971 | 2,689,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1972 | 2,952,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1973 | 3,215,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1974 | 3,478,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1975 | 3,741,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1976 | 4,002,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1977 | 5,005,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1978 | 5,481,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1979 | 5,965,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1980 | 6,432,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1981 | 6,910,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1982 | 7,385,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1983 | 7,860,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1984 | 8,338,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1985 | 8,814,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1986 | 9,290,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1987 | 9,766,000 | Sequential (after restart) |
| 1987–1988 | R000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1988–1991 | L000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1990–1991 | E000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1991 | X000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1991 | N000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1992–1993 | C000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1993–1995 | S000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1994–1995 | W000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1996–1997 | T000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1997–1998 | U000001 | Letter prefix |
| 1998–1999 | A000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2000 | P000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2001–2002 | K000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2002–2003 | Y000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2003–2005 | F000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2005–2006 | D000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2006–2007 | Z000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2007–2008 | M000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2008–2009 | V000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2010 | G000001 | Letter prefix |
| 2010+ | 8 random characters | Random |
1949–1952 have no reliable published figures; serials from 628,840 to 855,725 are reported as 1948–1952.
The serial records when the case was made. The warranty card records when a dealer sold the watch, which can be months or even a few years later — especially for models that sat in a shop window. A gap of a year or two is normal. A serial that dates long after the papers, or a reference that didn't exist yet in the serial's year, is not.
On older watches the serial is engraved on the case between the lugs at 6 o'clock, hidden by the bracelet. From about 2007 Rolex engraved it on the rehaut — the inner ring between the dial and the crystal — at 6 o'clock as well. It is also printed on the warranty card or certificate.
Enter the serial number in the decoder above. Watches made before 2010 can be dated to within about a year from the serial. For watches with a random serial (2010 onward), use the date on the warranty card together with the production years of the reference.
Not from the serial itself. Since about 2010 Rolex serials are eight random letters and digits with no date code. The warranty card date and the reference's production years are the practical alternatives; a Rolex service centre can also confirm details from its records.
Rolex reached serial 999,999 around 1954 and started counting again, so numbers below 1,000,000 were used twice. The reference number, case style and dial normally make it obvious which era the watch belongs to.
No. Rolex has never published one. The figures here follow the chart most widely reproduced by dealers and collectors. Treat every result as approximate to within about a year.
No. Counterfeiters engrave real serial numbers, and a plausible year is easy to copy. Use our fake Rolex checklist and have the watch inspected by a Rolex service centre or authorised dealer if anything is in doubt.
Search the serial in our stolen-watch check before you buy. Dating a watch and checking its theft history are separate checks — a correctly dated serial can still belong to a stolen watch.
فك رموز رقم المرجع وتصفح الطرازات الرئيسية بالمقاس والحركة والسنوات.
18 فحصًا في دقائق مع قائمة واضحة بعلامات التحذير.
الإطار والعدسة وأجيال العلبة والمشبك.
معدن الإطار المحزز وأرقام المرجع والميناء.
عمل الكرونوغراف والموانئ الفرعية والغطاء الخلفي.
الإطار الخزفي ثنائي اللون وعقرب الساعات القافز.
المعادن الثمينة واسم اليوم الكامل وسوار بريزيدنت.