The age of a given watch is one of the most important details for Rolex collectors. As a company, the replica Rolex has been in business for over a century. During which time they have manufactured countless watches, with only little changes taking place between the different references over the years. This also includes the fake Rolex Serial Numbers which can get very frustrating.
Let’s take a general view of this Rolex Submariner as an example. Every Rolex watch has a special serial number engraved directly into the metal of its case. The engraving is located between the lugs on the 6 o’clock side, and can only be found once that side of the bracelet has been removed from the case. On modern replica Rolex watches, the serial number engraving appears on the inner bezel, so that it can be seen by simply looking through the crystal, instead of by removing the bracelet.
Even though the fake Rolex has never published an official resource regarding serial numbers and their corresponding years of production, generations of Rolex owners have amassed a collective knowledge base that is able to accurately identify the specific year a given Rolex was manufactured, based on its serial number engraving.
The first Rolex serial numbers consisted of only numerical figures, containing a maximum of six digits. Around the mid-1950s, Rolex reached the limit of their six-digit, serial number system, and reset the count, starting the serial numbers over again.
In 1987, Rolex reached the end of their seven-digit serial number system, and rather than adding yet another digit to the length of their serial numbers, they decided to turn the first digit into a letter. Each subsequent year of production was marked by a different letter at the beginning of the serial number with the following six numerical digits serving as the identification number between the different watches that were made within the same year.
Rolex kept on this practice until 2011 when they switched to a random serial number system that makes it virtually impossible to tell when exactly a watch left their factory. All watches manufactured between 2011 and the present will have a random serial number engraved into the bottom of the inner bezel, directly under the crystal.
Visit our accurate Rolex Serial Numbers page after locating your serial number, where you will find a manufacture date reference tool and accompanying chart. Simply enter your serial number and click the “submit” button. You will be redirected to a page that will clearly state the exact year that your watch was made. To view other years of production and their corresponding serial numbers, just reference the chart on our Rolex Serial Numbers page, where you will see a complete list dating all the way back to 1926, as well as additional charts that outline the meaning behind the fake Rolex reference numbers and bracelet codes.