What are Rolex country codes?

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Philipp Mayrhofer, last updated on 06/11/2024

The country code, abbreviated to LC, indicates the country to which a Rolex watch is delivered from the Swiss production site. For older models of the brand, this code can be found on the warranty card for the watch. 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 documents relating to the watch are in German. Others consider the LC to be of secondary importance when buying a watch. We provide an overview of the Rolex country codes and provide watch enthusiasts with the most important information about the LC markings.

The most important information in brief

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

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

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

The importance of country codes for collectors

The country code makes it possible to see at a glance which sales market - be it Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Thailand or Germany - the watch was originally intended for. 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 is relatively safe to assume that they were not imported illegally.

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

However, the country code becomes interesting if the watch is carried with a foreign LC when crossing a border. Then you have to be prepared to be asked about the origin of the product. This is because it is not uncommon for expensive watches to be brought from country to country duty unpaid and therefore illegally, which is considered tax evasion.

Rolex country code: An overview

Below we list the country codes alphabetically by country:

  • 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 (ex), 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

  • Turkey: LC 202, 381, 385

  • Turks and Caico Islands: LC 759

  • Hungary: LC 322

  • Venezuela: LC 770

Country codes and counterfeits

It is common knowledge that watches are often counterfeited. The country code is one of the features that can be used to authenticate a watch. If, for example, the watch has the coveted LC 100 according to the warranty card, but comes with documents in a non-German language, alarm bells should ring. However, as a warranty card can of course be forged, matching the country code and document language alone is no guarantee that you are dealing with an original luxury watch.

Where can I find the country code?

The country code is printed on the front of the warranty card for watches of older generations; for more recent models, the code can be found on the back of the card. Watches produced from 2020 onwards no longer have a country code.

Why are there several codes for some countries?

As the list above shows, some countries are assigned several country codes. In this case, there are several sales customers in this country to whom the watches are delivered from the production site 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 above all to the LC 100, of course, but also models from Switzerland (LC 010, 012, 013, 014, 015,

017, 021, 022, 023, 025, 026, 028, 033, 037, 044, 045, 061) are also more popular than average. Other codes have a rather deterrent effect on some German buyers and can therefore slightly reduce the value of the watch, for example the LC 514 (Bangladesh), the LC 765 (Lesser Antilles) or the LC 838 (China).

Conclusion

The Rolex country codes, which were printed on the guarantee certificates of all watches that left the Swiss manufacture until 2020, indicate the country to which the respective watch was delivered from the factory. In connection with the watch's papers, the country code can allow conclusions to be drawn about the authenticity of a timepiece, and the codes also partly influence the value of a Rolex on the global market.


About the author

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Philipp Mayrhofer

Hello my name is Philipp. I actually had my first points of contact with luxury watches through YouTube and the many watch reviews that can be seen there. As a result, I was able to acquire extensive watch knowledge.