Anyone who wants to purchase a high-quality watch or has received a chronograph as an heirloom naturally wants to find out as much as possible about the timepiece. One important feature that can open the door for owners to all sorts of relevant information about their watch is the serial number. Unlike the reference number or model number that many watches of a certain type may bear, the serial number is unique. What exactly can be determined from this special number, what role it plays and how a check is carried out, we explain in this article.
Why is the serial number important?
We'll start the topic by looking at the importance of a watch's serial number:
Identifying the authenticity and genuineness of the watch.
The unique number can be used to draw conclusions about the authenticity of a watch, which has a very direct impact on its value. The first and easiest step is to compare the engraved number on the watch with the serial numbering recorded on the certificate of authenticity. If there is a difference, this would indicate that the watch may be a fake. The further possibilities of checking authenticity based on the serial number will be explained later in this article.
Tracing the origin and history of the watch
Additionally, the serial numbering can tell you the approximate age of the watch, while you can often only find the date of sale in the paperwork. It is common for many major brands, such as Omega, Breitling, and even Rolex in the past, to use certain digit ranges exclusively in certain time periods or even only in a single year of production. To determine the age of a luxury watch, it is useful in this context to obtain an archive extract from the watch manufacturer with a list of numbers.
Support for service, repair and warranty claims
While watches with the same reference or reference number sometimes have very different characteristics, the serial number can tell you exactly what complications a watch contains and what caliber it houses. During maintenance and repairs, watchmakers therefore always take a close look at this number, which provides them with direct answers to questions relevant to their work. And the validity of warranty claims for watches is also usually verified on the basis of the serial number.
Where can I find the serial number?
Unfortunately, the question of where to find the serial numbers on watches is not so easy to answer. This is because: depending on the brand and model, the numbers are located in different places. So you have to know where to look.
Typical positions for serial numbers on different watch models
Rolex
If you want to find out the serial number of a Rolex watch, it helps to be able to roughly estimate the age of the watch. Rolex watches that have been on the market for several decades display the numbers between the lugs on the side of the case, so that the strap has to be removed to read them. On newer Rolex models, the numbering has been located on the rhino skin since 2007.
Incidentally, since 2010, Rolex watches have used random codes of letters and numbers for numbering, so the serial number no longer provides a direct clue to the age of the timepiece without archival data.
Omega
If you are looking for the serial number on a fairly new Omega watch, you will find it between the horns or even on the underside of the horns. Older models have the engraving on the inside of the case or the inside back cover. More rarely, the serial number occupies a prominent place directly on the movement. This can be misleading, as a change of movement in the meantime cannot be ruled out, especially with older Omega models.
Incidentally, regardless of the location, the serial and reference numbers are usually shown in tiny print. To be able to read the information in correctness, it is recommended to use a magnifying glass.
Checking the serial number
Now it gets exciting: How can you accurately check the serial number on a model? These are the possibilities:
Checking the authenticity of the serial number
Since nowadays many counterfeits also have serial numbers, it is important to look into the authenticity of the numbering. Often, fraudsters use one and the same engraving for several watches. If you scour the Internet for the code in question, you may by chance come across clues that cast doubt on the watch's authenticity. It also makes sense to find out about the typical places where the marks engrave the numbers. For example, if you know that the engraving on a Rolex watch at a young age should be found on the deer skin, but on your own piece it is on the bezel or even the dial, this also speaks against the authenticity of the wristwatch.
Checking the serial number in watch databases and registers
It is also possible to search for a serial number in watch databases and registers. Online databases often have a search function, which of course saves a lot of time. In contrast, analog registers have to be searched manually, which is comparatively tedious.
Comparison of the serial number with manufacturer information
In case of doubt, it is possible to obtain archive extracts from many manufacturers to determine the age of wristwatches and to obtain information about a certain serial number. For example, the manufacturer can provide more detailed information about individual characteristics of the watch with the requested numbering.
Our conclusion
Whether it's a Breitling, Omega or Rolex watch, a wristwatch only has the expected age.
Whether it's a Breitling, Omega or Rolex watch, a wristwatch only has the expected value if it is an authentic original. For this reason, it is common practice among collectors to perform a serial number check before accepting an offer for a watch. A wise decision that can protect one from many a bad purchase. Unlike the reference number, the serial number can be clearly assigned to an individual watch and thus allows conclusions to be drawn about the age and authenticity of the watch.