Watch Dating

Watch dating

Dating pre-owned watches is tricky. Unlike a car’s registration number, there’s no common, recognised method for dating a watch. However, it can beimportant to know the age of a preowned watch, especially when trying to authenticate it. Or if you’re buying a birth year watch. 

Take a vintage Rolex Submariner as an example, the various key watch components might have been made at different times. The case in 1966, the case back in 1965 and the bracelet in 1968. To confuse matters even more, the Chronometer certificate is from 1967 and the papers are from when it was sold in 1970. All of this is perfectly ok and normal, but it doesn’t give a definitive date.

How do we judge the age of a pre-owned watch?

Whenever possible we will use the date of the main component, which is the case. This carries the serial number applicable to the watch as a whole and is the most broadly accepted way of judging when a watch was ‘born’.  From that serial number we use generally recognised tables of production dates to check when it was made. Even the best of these tables are only accurate to + or – maybe six months. With some watches, Omega Speedmasters for instance, it can be less precise than that.

On later watches it’s impossible to tell when they were made because most serial numbers are randomly generated. All we have to go on is the date of original sale which could differ from the date of manufacture.

Our advice is to go with the balance of probability. However, if you’re interested in selling or trading your watch with Oakleigh Watches we’re happy to assist. You might also find this an interesting read – Is that Original? 

We are experts in dating pre-owned watches and if you’re looking for a watch from a specific year, either for yourself or as a gift, drop us an email and we’ll gladly discuss it with you.

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