- Oct 31, 2020 If the watch is a Rolex, check between the lugs. Rolex is unique in that it parks its model and serial numbers between the watch lugs. Remove your bracelet or strap and these should — hopefully — be visible. Model numbers are generally four, five or six digits long, whereas serial numbers can be up to eight digits long.
- Fellows pw wp 24th nov ings p2 62 pocket watch serial number lookup swiss regina ww1 era trench watch help british military pocket watch serial.
- Oct 31, 2020 If the watch is a Rolex, check between the lugs. Rolex is unique in that it parks its model and serial numbers between the watch lugs. Remove your bracelet or strap and these should — hopefully — be visible. Model numbers are generally four, five or six digits long, whereas serial numbers can be up to eight digits long.
- Fellows pw wp 24th nov ings p2 62 pocket watch serial number lookup swiss regina ww1 era trench watch help british military pocket watch serial.
Watch Serial Number Lookup
Accuracy of the Estimates of When Watches Were Made
The Better Way to Determine the Date
Serial Number Data Table
How to Open a Watch Case
While opening a watch isn't rocket science, a watch can be damaged if you try to open it incorrectly. Never use a screwdriver to try to open a case. If you really aren't sure what to do, take it to one of your local jewelers and ask them to show you how to open it. While it is open, make sure you record everything written on the movement of the watch and the watch case. These details can sometimes be important.A good description of how to open a pocket watch case and background information can be found here, thanks to the work of Kent Singer. Opening wrist watch cases, especially ones made after around 1950, some times requires special tools. Earlier wrist watches are often similar to pocket watches.
Why the Movement and Case Serial Numbers Are Unrelated
In addition, watch cases tended to wear out much quicker than the watch movements. So, the owner would sometimes go through two or three cases over the life time of the watch. Obviously, these later cases can't be related to the movement serial number.
Even after the 1920's, when watch companies started selling cased watches, the watch companies still bought the watch cases from outside sources and the serial numbers were still unrelated.
Are Case Serial Numbers Useful For Anything?
For the most part, case serial numbers only server to confuse people about what kind of watch they have. To the best of my knowledge, there are no records from any case manufactures that can make these case serial numbers useful. There are a few minor things you can use case serial numbers for:
- The case serial number is printed on several parts of the watch case. You can usually tell if you have a complete watch case by seeing if these serial numbers match.
Sometimes, the watch case companies would mark the bezels with the last few digits of the case number using Roman numerals. Usually the Roman numerals are scratched in by hand. For example, a case with a serial number of 153069 that has a screw on bezel might be marked 'X VI VIIII'. This code is kind of strange since each digit is written as one block of Roman numbers, the 'X' is for zero, not ten, and the 9 might not be written as 'IX'.
- For Elgin watches, case serial numbers on solid gold watches will usually be only 10% or less of the serial number on the movement. So, if someone is selling a watch as solid gold, and it has a movement serial number of, say, 3,870,123 and it has a case serial number of 1,073,678, a red flag should go up in your mind and you should be even more cautious about the claim. The reverse, however, isn't true, a small serial numbers doesn't mean it is solid gold.
- Case serial numbers, if they are recorded, can help if the watch is ever stolen. Both the movement and case serial numbers should be written down, since the movement and the case can be easily separated.
What About Numbers Scratched in the Case? 'Jeweler Marks'
Jeweler marks are highlighted
There are often small numbers called 'jeweler marks' scratched on the inside of the case.
When a watch was brought in for repair or cleaning, the watchmaker would often, but not always, scratch some kind of code into the back of the case so that can tell if they have repaired a the watch before. Sometimes these scratches would be some form of date code, or maybe just the initials of the watch maker, often just an invoice or repair number. There was no standard across the industry and individual watchmakers may change codes over the years.
Accuracy of the Estimates of When Watches Were Made
The table below with the serial numbers and years has be compiled from many sources and I believe it to be reasonably accurate, However, no table like this can be completely accurate because Elgin didn't produce watches in sequential order. It was very common for groups of watches to be set aside and finished months, years, or sometimes as much as a decade later. After the watch was finished, it might sit in a wholesaler's warehouse or a jewelry shop for months or years.Free font thai psp go. About the best you can say that the watch was probably not produced or sold as 'new' before the date listed. Recent documents folder manager. High volume watches will tend to be closer to the date listed, while expensive, high quality watches will tend to be the ones that have misleading dates. New models of watches may be released before or after these general dates.
Finally, I can find no definitive source of official dates, and there seems to be some disagreement between the various sources that I've found. This is especially true for the earlier years. The raw sources that I created this list from can be found here. (Actually, it looks like I mostly used the first list..)
The Better Way to Determine the Date
I recommend you use the Elgin Online Database to learn approximately what year your watch was made. It is quicker and less error prone. This page is really only useful as background information on how the Online Database determines the dates.
Serial Number Data Table
Elgin originally started out with just a number, but in the late 1930s they started to use a letter prefix on some of their serial numbers. Even later in the late 1950s, Elgin phased out the use of serial numbers.
If your watch has a letter prefix, you must first replace that letter with the two digit 'millions' value from the following table. For example, H632161 would be converted into 47,632,161 and N7193 would be converted into 48,007,193.
Serial Number Letter Prefix to Millions Digits
| Letter | X | C, E, T or Y | L | U | J | V | H | N | F | S | R | P | K | I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millions Digits | 38 or 39 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 |
Now, find the first serial number that is larger than your watches, and that will be the year that it was produced in.
31,000
While I'm not an expert, I believe the information on this page is correct. Please send suggestions and corrections to the webmaster.
This web site runs on 100% Open Source Software. This web page was last changed on 10/04/2002 at 00:41:29.
Cylindre Watch Serial Number Lookup
Note that we're using the serial number from the watch movement, not from the watch case. Looking at the table of Waltham serial numbers (see example below), you can see that number 20,900,000 was made in 1917 and 21,800,000 was made in 1918 (marked in red in the table below). Browse FREE Remontoir Pocket Watch Price/Value Guide - Appraisals, Valuations & FREE Sale Advice. See TODAY's Remontoir Pocket Watch for SALE, BEST OFFER and Auction; plus Expert Appraisal/Valuation, FREE sales advice and brokerage services, FREE sale prices, values, wish list and more - FIND 150+ Specialist categories Bath Antiques Online - Buy, Sell & Value!
