Help with serial numbers and date.

[AlBacon!974]

I am looking to get a 1974 Rolex as a birth year watch. I found one or at least I think I did. The seller says the watch is a 1974 with a serial number in the 3.8 million range. Now from most of the sites that offer serial numbers and the years of production say this is a 1973 serial. One site did say it was a 1974. My question is who has the best site for the most accurate serial numbers by production year? This is the only thing holding me up from pulling the trigger. Thanks for any info.

[Tools]

We do.

[AlBacon!974]

Originally Posted by Tools

We do.

Are you saying TRF has the best info on serial numbers and production years?

[Old Expat Beast]

The seial number project at the Vintage Rolex Forum is very detailed.

[AlBacon!974]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

The seial number project at the Vintage Rolex Forum is very detailed.

Thanks Beast. Very helpful as always.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by AlBacon!974

Are you saying TRF has the best info on serial numbers and production years?

Sure, why not. Serial numbers are not an exact science. Rolex has never provided any production data to the public. All charts are guesses and nobody has ever seen all the serial numbers available, when they were made, or when they stopped. The VRF data-base is good, but it too is anecdotal and based on sales receipts and case stampings and an honor-system, not hard proof.

Ours is an extrapolation of several on-line data bases and research into the very well respected Dowling-Hess book, Best of Time; 2002, which has a serial chart that is actual research and not cut-and-paste as most other on-line charts are.

Your serial falls into the 73-74 era. Without supporting paperwork it is impossible to refine it more, and even then; is it a manufacture date or a sales date. It is also the time when Rolex stopped stamping the inner caseback with dates. These stamped dates which were from ~53 to ~73, give or take, are the Rosetta Stone for Rolex serials.

So, barring actual "proof", if you want yours to be a '74, it's as valid a statement as a chart saying that it might be a '73.

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by AlBacon!974

Are you saying TRF has the best info on serial numbers and production years?

Yes, he is. http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=54362

Larry and many members have put a lot of work into the reference library.

[Chewbacca]

the one below has been used by several high traffic reputable sites (google search). you're right on the threshold with a 3.8M so absolute accuracy will need to be well researched. i'd call rsc.


28,000 = 1926
30,430 = 1927
32,960 = 1928
35,390 = 1929
37,820 = 1930
40,250 = 1931
42,680 = 1932
45,000 = 1934
63,000 = 1935
81,000 = 1936
99,000 = 1937
117,000 = 1938
135,000 = 1939
164,600 = 1940
194,200 = 1941
223,800 = 1942
253,400 = 1943
283,000 = 1944
348,100 = 1945
413,200 = 1946
478,300 = 1947
543,400 = 1948
608,500 = 1949
673,600 = 1950
738,700 = 1951
803,800 = 1952
950,000 = 1953
999,000 = 1954*
200,000 = 1955
400,000 = 1956
600,000 = 1957
800,000 = 1958
1,100,000 = 1959
1,402,000 = 1960
1,480,000 = 1961
1,558,000 = 1962
1,636,000 = 1963
1,714,000 = 1964
1,792,000 = 1965
1,871,000 = 1966

2,163,900 = 1967
2,426,800 = 1968
2,689,700 = 1969
2,952,600 = 1970
3,215,500 = 1971
3,478,400 = 1972
3,741,300 = 1973
4,004,200 = 1974
4,267,100 = 1975
4,539,000 = 1976
5,006,000 = 1977
5,482,000 = 1978
5,958,000 = 1979
6,434,000 = 1980
6,910,000 = 1981
7,386,000 = 1982
7,862,000 = 1983
8,338,000 = 1984
8,814,000 = 1985
9,290,000 = 1986 9,766,000 = 1987
9,999,999 = 1987 1/2
R000,000 = 1987 1/2
L000,001 = 1989
E000,001 = 1990 1/2
X000,001 = 1991 3/4
N000,001 = 1991 3/4
C000,001 = 1992 1/4
S000,001 = 1993 3/4
W000,001 = 1995
T000,001 = 1995 1/2
U000,001 = 1997 1/2
A000,001 = 1999-00
P000,001 = 2000-01
K000,001 = 2001-02
Y000,001 = 2002-03
F000,001 = 2003-04
D000,001 = 2004-05
Z000,001 = 2005-06
M000,001 = 2007-08
V000,001 = 2008-10

[AlBacon!974]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

the one below has been used by several high traffic reputable sites (google search). you're right on the threshold with a 3.8M so absolute accuracy will need to be well researched. i'd call rsc.


28,000 = 1926
30,430 = 1927
32,960 = 1928
35,390 = 1929
37,820 = 1930
40,250 = 1931
42,680 = 1932
45,000 = 1934
63,000 = 1935
81,000 = 1936
99,000 = 1937
117,000 = 1938
135,000 = 1939
164,600 = 1940
194,200 = 1941
223,800 = 1942
253,400 = 1943
283,000 = 1944
348,100 = 1945
413,200 = 1946
478,300 = 1947
543,400 = 1948
608,500 = 1949
673,600 = 1950
738,700 = 1951
803,800 = 1952
950,000 = 1953
999,000 = 1954*
200,000 = 1955
400,000 = 1956
600,000 = 1957
800,000 = 1958
1,100,000 = 1959
1,402,000 = 1960
1,480,000 = 1961
1,558,000 = 1962
1,636,000 = 1963
1,714,000 = 1964
1,792,000 = 1965
1,871,000 = 1966

2,163,900 = 1967
2,426,800 = 1968
2,689,700 = 1969
2,952,600 = 1970
3,215,500 = 1971
3,478,400 = 1972
3,741,300 = 1973
4,004,200 = 1974
4,267,100 = 1975
4,539,000 = 1976
5,006,000 = 1977
5,482,000 = 1978
5,958,000 = 1979
6,434,000 = 1980
6,910,000 = 1981
7,386,000 = 1982
7,862,000 = 1983
8,338,000 = 1984
8,814,000 = 1985
9,290,000 = 1986 9,766,000 = 1987
9,999,999 = 1987 1/2
R000,000 = 1987 1/2
L000,001 = 1989
E000,001 = 1990 1/2
X000,001 = 1991 3/4
N000,001 = 1991 3/4
C000,001 = 1992 1/4
S000,001 = 1993 3/4
W000,001 = 1995
T000,001 = 1995 1/2
U000,001 = 1997 1/2
A000,001 = 1999-00
P000,001 = 2000-01
K000,001 = 2001-02
Y000,001 = 2002-03
F000,001 = 2003-04
D000,001 = 2004-05
Z000,001 = 2005-06
M000,001 = 2007-08
V000,001 = 2008-10

Will RSC answer a question for me about production date?

[AlBacon!974]

Originally Posted by Tools

Sure, why not. Serial numbers are not an exact science. Rolex has never provided any production data to the public. All charts are guesses and nobody has ever seen all the serial numbers available, when they were made, or when they stopped. The VRF data-base is good, but it too is anecdotal and based on sales receipts and case stampings and an honor-system, not hard proof.

Ours is an extrapolation of several on-line data bases and research into the very well respected Dowling-Hess book, Best of Time; 2002, which has a serial chart that is actual research and not cut-and-paste as most other on-line charts are.

Your serial falls into the 73-74 era. Without supporting paperwork it is impossible to refine it more, and even then; is it a manufacture date or a sales date. It is also the time when Rolex stopped stamping the inner caseback with dates. These stamped dates which were from ~53 to ~73, give or take, are the Rosetta Stone for Rolex serials.

So, barring actual "proof", if you want yours to be a '74, it's as valid a statement as a chart saying that it might be a '73.

Wow, thanks for taking time to post all of that for me. I know I am just obsessing over it but it is something that has to be a sure thing. I really want to buy it but I'm not 100% certain.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by AlBacon!974

Wow, thanks for taking time to post all of that for me. I know I am just obsessing over it but it is something that has to be a sure thing. I really want to buy it but I'm not 100% certain.

Impossibe to be certain. The best to hope for is original sales/warranty papers for the birth year, or even month......or even day!

[RC2]

Good luck. It's a circa anyway. Get the best example possible and if it's around birth year the better

[springer]

Originally Posted by AlBacon!974

Will RSC answer a question for me about production date?

No.

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by AlBacon!974

Will RSC answer a question for me about production date?

joe100 once wrote a nice letter to Rolex and they confirmed that his Air King was made in his birth month. That's the only time I've heard of that though! If you haven't even purchased the watch yet, they definitely won't tell you anything. Good luck with the hunt!

[marcello pisani]

3.8 can be very end of 1974 or beginning of 1975.
( this according to my copy of internal Rolex production tables that I will not share ).
and how my friend Marcello often says : < if you don't believe me ask Rolex ! > LOL LOL LOL

[Ue11]

At least for the early years, I'd tend to go with Dowling or the list of serial numbers in the link below.

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=54362

Case in point, the perpetual was not produced until 1931 and look at the serial number on the case back of this perpetual. There are lots of opinions and anomalies, though, so it's especially hard to be sure on early watches where there were no papers and not many sales receipts have survived. Just some thoughts.

By the later years when there were papers, I'm sure the list of serial numbers is much more accurate.

[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

the one below has been used by several high traffic reputable sites (google search). you're right on the threshold with a 3.8M so absolute accuracy will need to be well researched. i'd call rsc.


28,000 = 1926
30,430 = 1927
32,960 = 1928
35,390 = 1929
37,820 = 1930
40,250 = 1931
42,680 = 1932
45,000 = 1934
63,000 = 1935
81,000 = 1936
99,000 = 1937
117,000 = 1938
135,000 = 1939
164,600 = 1940
194,200 = 1941
223,800 = 1942
253,400 = 1943
283,000 = 1944
348,100 = 1945
413,200 = 1946
478,300 = 1947
543,400 = 1948
608,500 = 1949
673,600 = 1950
738,700 = 1951
803,800 = 1952
950,000 = 1953
999,000 = 1954*
200,000 = 1955
400,000 = 1956
600,000 = 1957
800,000 = 1958
1,100,000 = 1959
1,402,000 = 1960
1,480,000 = 1961
1,558,000 = 1962
1,636,000 = 1963
1,714,000 = 1964
1,792,000 = 1965
1,871,000 = 1966

2,163,900 = 1967
2,426,800 = 1968
2,689,700 = 1969
2,952,600 = 1970
3,215,500 = 1971
3,478,400 = 1972
3,741,300 = 1973
4,004,200 = 1974
4,267,100 = 1975
4,539,000 = 1976
5,006,000 = 1977
5,482,000 = 1978
5,958,000 = 1979
6,434,000 = 1980
6,910,000 = 1981
7,386,000 = 1982
7,862,000 = 1983
8,338,000 = 1984
8,814,000 = 1985
9,290,000 = 1986 9,766,000 = 1987
9,999,999 = 1987 1/2
R000,000 = 1987 1/2
L000,001 = 1989
E000,001 = 1990 1/2
X000,001 = 1991 3/4
N000,001 = 1991 3/4
C000,001 = 1992 1/4
S000,001 = 1993 3/4
W000,001 = 1995
T000,001 = 1995 1/2
U000,001 = 1997 1/2
A000,001 = 1999-00
P000,001 = 2000-01
K000,001 = 2001-02
Y000,001 = 2002-03
F000,001 = 2003-04
D000,001 = 2004-05
Z000,001 = 2005-06
M000,001 = 2007-08
V000,001 = 2008-10

This list, which I've seen on a lot of watch sites, is incredibly misleading. Specifically, for the 1960s numbers. This decade's SNs are completely different, and very off from the list the TRF uses here According to this list my '66 gilt, with a 1,37X,XXX SN should be from 1959/1960.

[seattleal]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

This list, which I've seen on a lot of watch sites, is incredibly misleading. Specifically, for the 1960s numbers. This decade's SNs are completely different, and very off from the list the TRF uses here According to this list my '66 gilt, with a 1,37X,XXX SN should be from 1959/1960.

Agreed!

For example, I have a 1601 serial # 2.61 with caseback stamped I/70. According to that table it dates to '68 - so which would you believe, the table or my watch's caseback?

[swish77]

And to complicate the serial number question even more ... I've read that Rolex would use up existing, older case backs, even on newer watches at assembly. So, you can actually have 3.8 serial number watch ('74?) with early '72 case backs. And here's proof below on a Submariner 5517 (military) with the properly engraved serial number on the inside of the case back (end of serial number intentionally blurred out). I have a 3.7 Submariner 5512 that also has a "I 72" stamped case back that I was told is original to the watch. So, in other words, it's very difficult to get an absolutely exact year on a watch from this era without supporting paperwork. Good luck in your search!