[crowncollection]

Brief history of Swiss hallmarking

Hallmarking in the Switzerland dates back centuries, there was system of hallmarking in Switzerland until 1881 but it was not uniform, with the introduction of the Swiss system of hallmarking in 1881, there was uniformity throughout the nation
Swiss law since 1881

“All watch cases made of gold, silver, platinum or palladium, of foreign or domestic manufacture, sold in Switzerland, are subject to inspection and compulsory official marking.

There are number of Assay offices in Switzerland Rolex use the Genève office its symbol is a capital letter “G.”
As you can see below there are many distinctive symbols used by Swiss assay offices: You may find other Swiss watch manufactures using different assay offices.
• Biel / Bienne = B
• Basel = *
• Chiasso = T
• Geneva = G
• La Chaux-de-Fonds = C
• Le Noirmont = J
• Zurich = Z

Pre-1995 Rolexes Watches.

These assay office symbols will appear in place of the "X" as seen the on the hallmarks chart below.
Only precious metal watch cases must be hallmarked. Swiss hallmarking for other articles such as jewelry and cutlery is optional.
You will see the Helvetia far left of the chart below; we will call it the ladies head from now, is used for 18K or 750 gold of any colour. Pre 1995 you will see in the chart, Platinum and different gold purities all used different symbols.
Rolex as we know is a reputable company and follows these laws without exception.


Note: The same hallmark for 18K gold applies, regardless of it its colour
E.g. White gold or pink gold also use the ladies head pre 1995.

Here below is an extremely clear close up macro shot of a Rolex president men’s band showing the hallmarks, notice the G in the ladies neck, notice the superb detail in her face, hair eyes, nose, remember this is tiny in real life, you can’t even see it without a loupe.
Note: The 750 scales hallmark is also stamped on by the Genève assay office also very clear and detailed.

Hallmarking laws apply to all Rolex models. You will find hallmarks on the band clasp, mid case and case back on watches made of precious metals, Sub, GMT, Op date, Datejust, Daytona, Day Date and Yachtmaster.
You can apply this hallmark information to verify the originality of your 18K band clasp, there are of course other things to consider when you are checking, but it’s a good starting point. The little G is the most important thing to look for, counterfeiters have tried to copy the ladies head, however, the head does not have any detail, and however, some counterfeiters are getting better.

This check verifies your clasp, you still need to watch out if buying an older used Rolex watch, as the main part of the band can be replaced or changed out with an aftermarket link section and the original clasp retained and used. There are other techniques to verify the main section of the band, however that is another tutorial post altogether.
Remember it’s a government hallmark with great detail; the detailed makes it near impossible to copy. It is the same every time and perfect, the government controls the quality and it must be perfect or it will be scraped.


The detail is important in establishing authenticity. The master dies that stamp these hallmarks remain at the Assay office under strict control, the government accounts for every die, just like the stamping dies used to print legal coin currency; you cannot just get your hands on one. These stamping dies never leave the assay office. The chart below explains, who puts what on the gold watch part however, it shows the newer post 1995 hallmark, the dog which will be explained later in this post.