What are Rolex country codes?

The country code, abbreviated LC, indicates the country to which a Rolex watch is delivered from the Swiss production facility. For older models of the brand, this code can be found on the watch's warranty card. However, warranty cards for watches manufactured from 2020 onwards no longer have an LC. Some buyers attach importance to purchasing a watch with a German country code (LC 100), for example, to ensure that the watch documents are in German. Others consider the LC to be of secondary importance when purchasing a watch. We provide an overview of Rolex country codes and provide watch enthusiasts with the most important information about the LC markings.

The most important things in brief

• Identification and meaning: Country codes on the warranty card indicate the country in which the watch was originally sold.

• Collector value: Certain country codes can increase the collector value of a watch, depending on its rarity and origin.

• Protection against counterfeits: By knowing the country codes, buyers can better verify the authenticity of a Rolex and protect themselves from imitations.

The meaning of country codes for collectors

The country code makes it easy to determine at a glance which sales market the watch was originally intended for—be it Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Thailand, or Germany. In Germany, there are quite a few collectors who prefer to buy watches with a German LC. These come with German-language papers, and it's relatively safe to assume they weren't imported illegally.

In comparison, watches that come from abroad (Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Cayman Islands, Caribbean Islands, Middle East, etc.) according to the LC are often somewhat cheaper in this country than timepieces with LC 100. However, there is no technical difference between the products: A Rolex that comes from the Turks and Caicos Islands is, except for the LC, completely identical to a Rolex produced for the German market.

The country code becomes interesting, however, when the watch is carried with a foreign LC when crossing a border. In that case, you should be prepared to be asked about the product's origin. It's not uncommon for expensive watches to be illegally transported from country to country without paying customs duties, which is considered tax evasion.

Rolex Country Code: An Overview

Below we list the country codes alphabetically according to the countries they belong to:

• Abu Dhabi: LC 536

• Egypt: LC 612

• Alaska: LC 872

• Argentina: LC 790

• Australia, New Zealand: LC 810

• Bahamas: LC 741

• Bahrain: LC 526

• Bangladesh: LC 514

• Belgium, Luxembourg: LC 130

• Bermuda: LC 742

• Bolivia: LC 786

• Brazil: LC 780

• Bulgaria: LC 317

• Cayman Islands: LC 767

• Chile: LC 781

• China: LC 838

• Costa Rica: LC 737

• Denmark: LC 226, 228, 231, 233

• Germany: LC 100

• Dominican Republic: LC 756

• Dubai: LC 537

• Finland: LC 283, 286, 291, 298

• French Antilles: LC 766

• Greece: LC 200, 208

• Great Britain, Ireland: LC 160

• Guam: LC 873

• Hawaii: LC 871

• Honduras: LC 733

• Hong Kong: LC 400, 874, 888

• India: LC 500, 573

• Iran: LC 542

• Iceland: LC 237

• Israel: LC 548

• Italy: LC 170,181, 204

• Jamaica: LC 752

• Japan: LC 410, 900

• Virgin Islands: LC 758

• Canada: LC 700

• Caribbean Islands: LC 757

• Qatar: LC 535

• Kathmandu: LC 513

• Kenya: LC 668

• Lesser Antilles: LC 765

• Congo: LC 634

• Korea: LC 413

• Corfu: LC 207

• Cuba: LC 754

• Kuwait: LC 533

• Liechtenstein: LC 036

• Malaysia, Thailand: LC 431

• Malta: LC 201

• Mexico: LC 720, 722

• Middle East: LC 527

• Natex Retail (NATO Airbase): LC 906

• NATO Headquarters (Rheindahlen): LC 907

• New Zealand: LC 842

• Netherlands: LC 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138

• Netherlands Antilles (formerly), Aruba: LC 761, 762

• Norway: LC 241, 242, 246, 253, 284

• Oman: LC 538, 539

• Austria: LC 120,121, 122, 123, 124, 125,126, 127, 128

• Pakistan: LC 505

• Panama: LC 768

• Philippines: LC 818

• Poland: LC 311, 312

• Portugal: LC 210, 213, 215, 216, 217, 218

• Russia: LC 330

• Saudi Arabia: LC 529, 532

• Sweden: LC 265, 267, 270, 271

• Switzerland: LC 010, 012, 013, 014, 015, 017, 021, 022, 023, 025, 026, 028, 033, 037, 044, 045, 061

• Serbia, Montenegro: LC 325

• Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia: LC 430

• Slovakia: LC 318

• Slovenia: LC 323

• Spain: LC 150

• South Africa: LC 680

• Taiwan: LC 440, 828

• Czech Republic: LC 320, 321

• Tunisia: LC 605

• Türkiye: LC 202, 381, 385

• Turks and Caico Islands: LC 759

• Hungary: LC 322

• Venezuela: LC 770

Country codes and counterfeits

It's common knowledge that watches are often counterfeited. The country code is one of the features that can be used to authenticate a watch. For example, if the watch has the coveted LC 100 according to the warranty card, but comes with documents in a language other than German, alarm bells should ring. However, since a warranty card is potentially forgeable, a match between the country code and the document language alone is no guarantee that you're dealing with an authentic luxury watch.

Where can I find the country code?

The country code is printed on the front of the warranty card for older generation watches; for newer models, the code is located on the back of the card. Watches produced from 2020 onwards no longer have a country code.

Why are there multiple codes for some countries?

As the list above shows, some countries are assigned multiple country codes. This means that there are multiple distribution customers in that country to whom the watches are delivered from the production facility in Switzerland.

How does the country code change the value of a watch?

Some country codes increase the value of a watch on the German secondary market. This applies primarily to the LC 100, but models from Switzerland (LC 010, 012, 013, 014, 015, 017, 021, 022, 023, 025, 026, 028, 033, 037, 044, 045, 061) are also extremely popular. Other codes, such as the LC 514 (Bangladesh), the LC 765 (Lesser Antilles), or the LC 838 (China), are more likely to be off-putting to some German buyers and can therefore somewhat reduce the value of the watch.

conclusion

The Rolex country codes, which were printed on the warranty certificates of all watches that left the Swiss manufacturer until 2020, indicate the country to which the respective watch was delivered from the factory. In conjunction with the watch's documentation, the country code can provide information about the authenticity of a timepiece. Furthermore, the codes partially influence the value of a Rolex on the global market.