Tudor Serial Numbers
Date a vintage Tudor from its serial — the Rolex-cased sister brand.
Vintage Tudor watches were built in Rolex-made cases, so the serial sits exactly where a Rolex's does — engraved between the lugs at the 6 o'clock side, hidden by the bracelet. The numbers broadly follow Rolex-style sequential ranges, which means a vintage Tudor can be dated to an approximate year. From the 1990s Tudor used letter-prefix serials (B, then H), and from around 2002 it switched to randomized serials that no longer encode a date.
Enter your serial below for an estimate, then see the chart and how to read each era. Tudor never published an official table, so treat every result as an approximation.
Find your Tudor’s production year
Tudor Serial Number Chart (1940s–2000s)
| Serial Number | Year |
|---|---|
| Random (letters + digits) | 2002+ |
| H170000 | 2000 |
| H100000 | 1999 |
| B990000 | 1998 |
| B850000 | 1997 |
| B790000 | 1996 |
| B580000 | 1995 |
| B560000 | 1994 |
| B500000 | 1993 |
| B390000 | 1992 |
| B360000 | 1991 |
| B330000 | 1990 |
| ~10,000–260,000 (reset block) | 1984–1989 |
| 980,000 | 1983 |
| 930,000 | 1980 |
| 900,000 | 1979 |
| 870,000 | 1977 |
| 850,000 | 1976 |
| 810,000 | 1974 |
| 740,000 | 1970 |
| 680,000 | 1969 |
| 620,000 | 1968 |
| 570,000 | 1967 |
| 500,000 | 1966 |
| 430,000 | 1964 |
| 360,000 | 1962 |
| 310,000 | 1960 |
| 200,000 | 1958 |
| 170,000 | 1957 |
| 40,000–140,000 | 1940–1956 |
Approximate, compiled from collector serial charts — Tudor published no official table. Note the mid-1980s reset: around 1984 Tudor restarted the numeric block at low five-digit numbers, so a low serial can read as either the 1950s or the late 1980s. From ~2002 serials are randomized and not date-decodable.
Where to Find Your Tudor Serial Number
Because vintage Tudor uses Rolex-made cases, the serial is engraved between the lugs at the 6 o'clock side of the case — you remove the bracelet to read it, exactly as on a vintage Rolex. The 4-digit reference number sits between the lugs at 12 o'clock.
On more contemporary Tudor cases the serial may instead appear on the underside of the lugs or the caseback edge, so if it isn't at 6 o'clock, check there next. It's also printed on the guarantee card.
For modern Tudor, the warranty card or Tudor's digital Watch ID is the only reliable date reference — the serial itself won't decode.
How to Read a Tudor Serial Number
Tudor's serial format changed across four eras, and the format alone narrows the period before you reach the chart:
- 1940s–early 1980s: pure numeric serials, broadly sequential like Rolex case numbers — roughly datable from collector charts.
- ~1984: Tudor reset the numeric sequence to low five-digit numbers, so a small serial can collide with a 1950s number. Use the reference and card to disambiguate.
- Late 1980s–1990s: a letter prefix (B, then H) followed by up to six digits — e.g. B330000 ≈ 1990, H100000 ≈ 1999.
- ~2002–present: randomized serials mixing letters and numbers with no date logic. These need the warranty card or Tudor's records to date.
Tudor Reference Numbers
Vintage Tudor uses 4-digit reference numbers (with later 5-digit evolutions), engraved between the lugs at 12 o'clock — opposite the serial. The reference identifies the model family, case type, and sometimes the bezel or dial variant. Well-known examples include the 7928 and 79090 Submariners and the 7031/7032 Monte Carlo chronographs.
Modern Tudor uses longer alphanumeric references that encode the model line (Black Bay, Pelagos, and so on) and variant. They're catalogue codes, not date codes — production timing still comes from documentation rather than the reference or serial alone.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the serial number on a vintage Tudor?
Between the lugs at the 6 o'clock side of the case — Tudor used Rolex-made cases, so it's in the same place as on a vintage Rolex. Remove the bracelet to see it; the reference number is between the lugs at 12 o'clock.
Can I date a Tudor from its serial number?
Vintage Tudor (roughly 1940s–1990s) can be dated to an approximate year using collector serial charts. From around 2002 Tudor uses randomized serials that don't encode a date — use the warranty card or Tudor's Watch ID instead.
What does a letter at the start of a Tudor serial mean?
Through the 1990s Tudor used letter prefixes: a B prefix corresponds to roughly 1990–1998 and an H prefix to about 1999–2001. Enter the full serial including the letter in the lookup above.
Why is dating a Tudor less reliable than a Rolex?
Tudor never released serial data, the numeric sequence was reset in the mid-1980s (so low numbers can map to two eras), and modern serials are randomized. The charts are best-effort collector reconstructions, not factory records.