Tudor Serial Numbers: A Complete Resource Guide
just like most luxury watches, Tudor watches are equipped with a serial number. The serial numbers aren’t there because of a coincidence or just randomly added there, but instead, they have a few very important functions.
Tudor serial numbers can be used to date the watch and the year of which it was manufactured.
You’re probably aware of the fact that the founder of Rolex Hans Wilsdorf founded Tudor as a cheaper alternative to Rolex, and thus they have a lot in common and share much throughout its history, however, when it comes to Tudor watches, the serial numbers of Tudor watches are more complicated to date than the serial numbers of Rolex. Of course, this cannot be said about the modern Rolexes which have random serial numbers, but when talking about older Rolexes, that is the case.
The reason why it is more difficult to date Tudor watches through their serial numbers have to do with the simple fact that there is less information available about Tudor. Of course, this doesn’t really come as a surprise since Rolex is considerably more established and much more famous than its little brother/sister.
But the fact that it is more difficult to date Tudor watches is the exact reason why we decided to create this article. Since Tudor is one of the brands we are especially specialized in, we saw it as our duty to create the most extensive and in-depth database and resource of Tudor serial numbers available to date, to help guide Tudor lovers, devoted fans, and collectors, like yourself to easier date different Tudor watches and to help you get a better understanding of the watch that you’re dealing with.
Since Tudor hasn’t, just like most other luxury watch brands, created an official list and resource of their Tudor serial numbers, some serial numbers may not be 100% accurate, however, even if some of them may not be exact, they will give you a quite good estimate of the year of your Tudor watch.
About Tudor serial numbers and where to find it
An interesting thing to point out about Tudor serial numbers is that at the beginning of the Tudor brand, and a long time into its history, Tudor used Rolex cases for its watches. As such, the serial number of Tudor watches are found in the same place as they would be found on a Rolex watch. This means that they are engraved between the lugs at the 6 o’clock position and engraved into the case behind where the bracelet is attached.
At the 12 o’clock position, you will find the watch’s reference number. Note, however, that this is only the case for older watches.
Modern Tudor watches have the reference number and serial number placed on the undersides of the lugs. This is done for strategic reasons, as accessing the serial number of an older Tudor watch means you have to remove the bracelet.
Tudor reference number vs serial number
Do not confuse serial number with reference number, because these are two completely different things. You can think of Tudor serial numbers as a social security number – an individual number that each watch has that makes it easier to get information about it (such as year etc). The reference number, on the other hand, is just a model number, which tells you what model it is, and this is a number that all watches of that model use.
If you’re considering buying a Tudor watch, this list of Tudor serial numbers will be especially helpful since they will assist you in finding out whether or not the year of the watch, and if the Tudor you’re considering buying is displayed and described properly.
This list of Tudor serial numbers is a living resource that is consistently updated and improved to provide a better base for Tudor serial numbers.
For modern Tudor watch models, the H serial is produced in parallel with O and J serial. This means that the year 2007 should correspond to H7 serial as well as the J1 serial.
Please have a look at our Tudor serial number check below, and easily compare your Tudor watch’s serial numbers, in order to find an estimated date of the watch.
The most common vintage Tudor watch is the Tudor Oyster watch, and after having received countless requests and questions about the Tudor oyster watch serial numbers, we can confirm that yes, the serial numbers below also apply to the Tudor Oyster,
Tudor serial Number Year
- 40,000 – 140,000 1940 – 1956
- 240000 1956
- 170,000 1957
- 200,000 1958
- 280,000 1959
- 310,000 1960
- 340,000 1961
- 360,000 1962
- 390,000 1963
- 430,000 1964
- 460,000 1965
- 500,000 1966
- 570,000 1967
- 620,000 1968
- 680,000 1969
- 740,000 1970
- 750,000 1971
- 770,000 1972
- 790,000 1973
- 810,000 1974
- 830,000 1975
- 840,000 1976
- 860,000 1977
- 880,000 1978
- 900,000 1979
- 930,000 1980
- 950,000 1981
- 970,000 1982
- 980,000 1983
- 990,000 1984
Tudor began with serial numbers again in 1984 and restarted their serial numbers.
- 140000 1985
- 170000 1986
- 190000 1987
- 210000 1988
- 260000 1989
- B330000 1990
- B360000 1991
- B390000 1992
- B500000 1993
- B560000 1994
- B590000 1995
- B790000 1996
- B850000 1997
- B990000 1998
- H130000 1999
- H170000 2000
- H240000 2001
- H300000 2002
Modern Tudor serial numbers
As you can see on the Tudor serial number list, we have not listed any serial numbers after 2002, and this has to do with the fact that Tudor now uses “random serial numbers”. In other words, they follow no specific format which means that it is close to impossible to date them yourself.
How to date your Tudor watch with random serial numbers?
So how do you date your modern Tudor watch when you cannot use this Tudor serial number database?
Well, it gets a lot more difficult, that’s for sure.
The easiest and best way to date your modern Tudor watch is if you have the original certificate for your watch. If you do, the date on which the watch was purchased should be on the certificate. Simply confirm that the serial number on your Tudor watch matches the serial number that is engraved on your Tudor.
If you don’t have the original certificate for your watch, it gets a bit trickier. The good news is that Tudor has information about every single watch that has left the factory, which is registered through their individual serial numbers. The bad news is that this information can be difficult, if not impossible to access.
An idea for dating the year of your modern Tudor watch is to go to the official retailer from which the watch was purchased if you know where it was from. The official retailers normally keep records of each watch’s serial number they sell, and might be able to provide you with further information about the year of your watch.
The last method to estimate a year of your Tudor watch that isn’t very accurate is to look at the model you have, and the production time of it. It won’t give you detailed information about the year of your watch, but if you over what years Tuor produced a watch, you have an estimation of where your watch could be from.
How to spot a fake Tudor watch
Do you need help finding your Tudor Serial number or have any other questions about Tudor serial numbers? Consult one of our watch experts here!
i hve a Rolex tudor prince rotor self winding. I cannot find the serial number but I have the model number. Any idea why. It was givin as a retirement gift in 1957.
Hi,
All Tudor watches should have serial numbers. I would advise to check the following places:
-In the back of the watch, either on the case back or on the back of the lugs “horns”.
-On the case between the lugs, normally at 6 o’clock
-Inside the watch, either on the movement itself or on the inside of the case back.
Hope this helps!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches
I have a VintageTudor watch, the marks on the inside of the back case are. 12858. and 4246, it is a Dennison Case, the watch is 30mm across the face, manual wind and i think the movement is 037, the tables indicate the serial numbers start at 40,000, i have looked all over the movement and there is no other numbers, the movement is marked Tudor, Swiss made and 15 Rubies, any idea how old it may be.
Hi,
It’s difficult to say without having more information however based on your description, it sounds like you have a Tudor Dennison. If so, this model was in production in around the 1950s. With that said, the serial number chart only starts at 1950 as the serial number system used before that didn’t follow the same chronological order which makes it difficult to date the watch using its serilal number.
Hope this helps!
Kind regards,
Millenary Watches