Longines Serial Numbers Complete Guide

Longines Serial Numbers Complete Guide

Longines is one of the oldest Swiss watch brands in the world. Founded in 1832, Longines has achieved and done a lot over the course of its history. From winning the Grand Prix at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900 to being the official timekeeper for Formula 1 for 10 years, and much more in between.

The vast majority of watches are equipped with serial numbers. This is no exception for Longines watches.

The serial number is unique to every single watch and is used for a number of different reasons.

Primarily, the serial number is used to help the manufacturer to keep track of every single watch that leaves the factory. This allows them to get detailed information about the watches.

An example of such information is dating the production time of the watch. With the help of the serial number, you can date your Longines watch, and we will go into detail about how you can do that further on.

Longines serial numbers

Few manufacturers keep as well-recorded records about their watches as Longines. In fact, Longines has recorded every single serial number of its watches since 1867. Safe to say that is quite a substantial record. Using its record, Longines can provide first-class and detailed information about the timepieces that have left the factory. What is even more interesting (and something we have Longines to thank for), is that Longines is happy to share this information with the public.

Companies like Rolex naturally have a well-recorded database of their serial numbers, but do not disclose this information to the public as Longines does. We will go more into detail about this further on.

The serial number consists of 5 to 8 digits.

Longines serial numbers can normally be found engraved on the case back. Most often, the number is engraved on the outside of the case back, but in some cases, it may be engraved on the inside, which means you need to remove the case back in order to access it. The serial number may also be engraved on the movement.

To date your Longines watch, you can either take help from the serial number list below or identify the age and production year of your vintage Longines watch by ordering a certificate of authenticity or extract from the archives directly from Longines.

Longines serial number production years

Below, you can find the year of production and the approx corresponding serial number format.

• 1867: 1
• 1870: 20,000
• 1871: 36,000
• 1872: 52,000
• 1873: 68,000
• 1874: 84,000
• 1875: 100,000
• 1876: 121,425
• 1877: 142,850
• 1878: 164,275
• 1879: 185,700
• 1880: 207,125
• 1881: 228,550
• 1882: 250,000
• 1883: 291,670
• 1884: 333,340
• 1885: 375,010
• 1886: 416,680
• 1887: 458,350
• 1888: 500,000
• 1889: 550,000
• 1890: 600,000
• 1891: 650,000
• 1892: 700,000
• 1893: 750,000
• 1894: 791,100
• 1895: 832,766
• 1896: 874,432
• 1897: 916,098
• 1898: 957,764
• 1899: 999,430
• 1900: 1,124,700
• 1901: 1,250,000
• 1902: 1,320,000
• 1903: 1,440,000
• 1904: 1,500,000
• 1905: 1,750,000
• 1906: 1,850,000
• 1907: 1,950,000
• 1908: 2,100,000
• 1909: 2,250,000
• 1910: 2,375,000
• 1911: 2,500,000
• 1912: 2,750,000
• 1913: 2,900,000
• 1914: 3,075,000
• 1915: 3,250,000
• 1916: 3,375,000
• 1917: 3,500,000
• 1918: 3,625,000
• 1919: 3,750,000
• 1920: 3,815,000
• 1921: 3,880,000
• 1922: 3,945,000
• 1923: 4,047,100
• 1924: 4,148,000
• 1922: 3,945,000
• 1923: 4,047,000
• 1924: 4,148,000
• 1925: 4,250,000
• 1926: 4,500,000
• 1927: 4,625,000
• 1928: 4,750,000
• 1929: 4,886,000
• 1930: 4,959,000
• 1931: 5,031,000
• 1932: 5,104,000
• 1933: 5,177,000
• 1934: 5,250,000
• 1935: 5,333,000
• 1936: 5,416,000
• 1937: 5,500,000
• 1938: 5,750,000
• 1939: 5,850,000
• 1940: 5,950,000
• 1941: 6,140,000
• 1942: 6,331,000
• 1943: 6,522,000
• 1944: 6,713,000
• 1945: 6,904,000
• 1946: 7,106,000
• 1947: 7,309,000
• 1948:  7,511,000
• 1949: 7,713,000
• 1950: 7,915,000
• 1951: 8,225,000
• 1952: 8,535,000
• 1953: 8,845,000
• 1954: 9,183,000
• 1955: 9,521,000
• 1956: 9,859,000
• 1957: 10,201,000
• 1958: 10,543,000
• 1959: 10,885,000
• 1960: 11,211,000
• 1961: 11,538,000
• 1962: 11,864,000
• 1963: 12,368,000
• 1965: 12,621,000
• 1966: 12,873,000
• 1967: 13,839,000
• 1968: 14,834,000
• 1969: 15,000,000

Longines serial number service

As mentioned, Longines offers several services with which the company partly uses its serial number database to retrieve information about watches.

Email serial number information

Longines can provide extract information about your timepiece via email.

Longines will ask for the following information:

• The serial number of the watch
• Photo of the dial
• Photo of the case back
• Photo of the movement (if possible)

Note that this is no guarantee that the watch is authentic. This document does by no means certify the authenticity of the watch or its components. This service is free of charge.

Longines Extract from the Archives

The Longines Extract from the archives is a paper provided by Longines, which discloses information about the timepiece which has been stored in Longine’s database. The paper document is sent to you. 

The service is completely free of charge and done complimentary by Longines.

Note that this is no guarantee that the watch is authentic. This document does by no means certify the authenticity of the watch or its components. This service is free of charge.

Certificate of Authenticity

The other service that Longines offers is a Certificate of authenticity.

In order to get a certificate of authenticity, you need to send your watch to Longines for an examination by their watchmakers. Longines will authenticate the watch and provide you with a written document that describes the condition of the watch. Longines charges 1500 CHF for this service.

You can contact Longines via this contact link.

Note that this article is written for informational purposes. Whilst we regularly update it and try to ensure the production years are correct, some typos or incorrect details may exist. Note, simply looking at the list of serial numbers and comparing it with your watch is not a means of authenticating the watch. The way you authenticate your Longines watch is by requesting a certificate of authenticity from Longines or having an experienced watchmaker inspect it. Millenary Watches is not affiliated with the Longines company

How to spot fake Longines watch

Cover photo courtesy of Philips.

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