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- Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Online
- Seiko Serial Number Chart
- Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Guide
- Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Chart
Sep 28, 2017 Look at the serial number. The first digit of the serial number represents the year within the decade (for example, if your watch was made in 1995, the serial number would begin with a 5). The second digit represents the month. The numbers 1-9 stand for the months January-September, with O for October, N for November and D for December. Seiko watches use a 6 or 7 digit serial number stamped on the caseback. This serial number contains digits indicating the date. The first digit translates to the year and the second shows the month. All Seiko's should have a Serial number on the case back The first number in the Serial is the last number in the year of production, and so if it is a new watch and you see an 8 it should be the year 2008 The second number in the Serial is the month the watch was made if you see a 4 it will be the month of April most Seiko serial are 6 digits long and so a serial of 86XXXX would be a watch.
Classic watches and those that are well-maintained can become collectors' items. An important element of investing in a watch like those made by the Seiko company is knowing and identifying the design watch you carry. Watches that are no longer in production are more in demand by collectors. Newer watches boast advanced features and sleek designs. Deciphering the Seiko serial number and understanding the bits and pieces that make it up takes a little detective work on your part. Break out the magnifying glass and note paper.
Wipe clean the face and back of your watch with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Turn over the watch face-down on a soft, cloth-covered surface to prevent scratching the watch face and dial.
Using your magnifying glass, look carefully on the back plate and around the edges of the back cover for numbers and letters. Write down the series of numbers and letters you find engraved on the back of the watch.
First numbers, from 1 to 9, represent the year of a decade in which the watch was made. Letters represent the months of October, November and December. Each decade is represented in 10-year spans using this format. The beginning of a new decade can present a problem because certain numbers overlap.
The next character should represent the month, and can be a number or letter. Two sets of four-digit numbers with a dash between them represent the case and caliber numbers and can help you narrow down which decade you are working with.
The first four digits represent the movement. Html to wordpress theme converter software, free download. You can sort the designs of Seiko watches and narrow them further using the movement number and the various serial number portions.
The last four digits represent the model number you are looking for. Write out the entire serial number and the breakdown of its components for future reference and add it to your collection.
Tip
There are many designs and styles of Seiko wrist watches. Browse the company's online site to help you narrow down possibilities on the design year if you are unsure of the numbers used in your serial number.
Warning
Models are often discontinued after a period of time. To ensure correct appraisal of your watch's value, refer to a certified appraiser or jewler after you have identified to the best of your own ability, the model number and maker details.
'When was my Seiko made?' We hear that a lot here at WatchSleuth so we built this page to help you figure it out.The page includes a calculator along with instructions and example images to help you find the movement caliber, case code and serial number on the back of your watch.The calculator uses these codes to do its magic.
Your results will be shown here.If you don't know how to find these numbers on your watch please read our instructions below.
You can also view the entire datefinder database. We encourage people to send us additions and corrections.
Example #1
6119-8083 | 061187
Mvmt-Case | Serial
Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Online
Finding the Model and Serial Number
Most Seikos have a 'retail' model number that is displayed in the store but not written anywhere on the watch.They also have a 'reference' model number that is written on the case back.This reference model number is a combination of two numbers:
- movement caliber
- case code
The other number you will need is the serial number.This is also on the case back and is six digits long.In the example images the serial number is highlighted in blue.Every watch has a unique combination of reference model number plus serial number.
Example #2
6309-576A | 2D5822
Mvmt-Case | Serial
![Seiko watch serial numbers reference form Seiko watch serial numbers reference form](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/cc-ecommerce/product_catalog/0044/48/thumb_4347664_product_catalog_large.jpeg)
How is the Date Calculated
The first digit of the serial number tells you the last digit of the year the watch was made.Looking at the example images:
- for example #1 the year ends in 0
- for example #2 the year ends in 2
- for example #3 the year ends in 4
Seiko Serial Number Chart
You may notice this does not tell us which decade.That is why we also ask for the model number.For many of Seiko's movements we know the first year they were producedand for most movements they were produced for less than 10 years.This helps us narrow down the decade.Using this additional information we can update our three examples:
- the 6119 was first made in 1970 so #1 is from 1970 or 1980
- the 6309 was made from 1976 to 1987 so #2 is from 1982
- the 7S36 was first made in 1996 so #3 is from 2004 or 2014
The second digit of the serial number is also useful. It tells you the month the watch was manufactured.Here are the possible values:
- 1 = January
2 = February
3 = March
4 = April
5 = May
6 = June
7 = July
8 = August
9 = September
0 = October
N = November
D = December
Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Guide
The remaining four digits of the serial number indicate the production number for the watch.If your last for digits are 0000 then you have the first watch made for that model reference number.Returning to our examples and using the second digit from the serial number we get the following production dates:
- The 6119-8083 061187 was made in June of 1970/1980
- The 6309-576A 2D5822 was made in December of 1982
- The 7S36-03J0 411082 was made in January of 2014
Seiko Watch Serial Numbers Reference Chart
Example #3
7S36-03J0 | 411082
Mvmt-Case | Serial
Why Do We Ask for the Case Code
If you were paying close attention you may have noticed we asked for the case code in the form above but we did not mention using it when calculating the date. You can leave that field blank and still findthe date for your watch however if you complete the field we will provide a listing of watches from our Seiko catalogsthat match the movement and case code.
Special Thanks
What you see here is in large part thanks to this excellent Quartzimodo article How to tell when you Seiko watch was made.Unfortunately the Jayhawk Production Date Calculator (by John Gauch) which is linked to in the Quartzimodo article no longer seems to be available, so we built our own.Another useful resource we found during our research was The Seiko Manufacture Date Decoder on the Retro Seiko website.It does not seem to be as well known and we hope that our movement database is more completeand that our instructions are more helpful.As with any part of WatchSleuth we encourage people to contact us with suggestions, corrections or any other information that would make our site more useful.