Rolex Watches Series

[commander]

Dear all,

realise that Rolex watches come in different series ie. what is the difference between the series of Rolex watches e.g. Yachtmaster D series, P series, Daytona etc

Does the alphabet represent the year of manufacture? ie. the lower alphabet the earlier?

and what to look out for?

Thanks.

[taxico]

R 1987
L 1988
E 1990
X 1991
N 1991 (Nov)
C 1992
S 1993
W 1995
T 1996
U 1997 (Aug)
A 1998 (Nov)
P 2000 (Jan)
K 2001 (Sep)
Y 2002 (Sep)
F 2003 (Sep)
D 2005 (Apr)
Z 2006 (May)
M 2007 (Aug)
V 2008 (Aug)
G 2010 (Jun)

anything before L usually has the older 304L steel cases. after L are usually 904L steel cases.

some people think younger = better.

the difference may mean nothing - a well kept and cared for 20 year old watch might be in better condition than an abused or misused 2 year old watch.

some newer watches have improved parts (eg, explorer 2s from 2008 with a 3186 movement or daytonas from year 2000 come with the parachrom blu hairspring) - so the age/series helps to identify such features.

but early adoption isn't always better: eg 1, early batches of GMT2s had buckles that were poorly welded. eg 2, early batches of black milgausses had green crystals that were prone to cracking...

also worth noting: A-series watches are the only ones that will have a "swiss" only mark as standard (as opposed to service replacements) and with luminova. this can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it...! (pun intended)

besides G-series, there's a new type of serial number where it's an alphanumeric code instead of an alphabet prefix followed by a bunch of numbers.

this will help buyers stop hassling dealers for a watch that has "the latest serial"... for now, no one has figured out how to decipher the "age code" of these alphanumeric serials yet.

the serial is only indicative of when a watch was manufactured. some $$$ rolex watches actually stay in the shop for a long time before being sold, and do come with a standard 2 year warranty!

so... a serial can mean something, everything, or nothing, depending on the experience of the buyer.

[pokeman71]

Now i know better, thks Bro.

[commander]

Thank you for the good info.

[taxico]

correction:

early batches of GMT2s had buckles that were poorly welded.

should read: early batches of GMT2Cs had buckles that were poorly welded.

[wfs]

Good info thanks for sharing