100% Authentic watches
Safe delivery or pick-up
Warranty & easy returns
One of the most famous watch brands in the world is probably the Swiss manufacturer Rolex. With lots of high-end timepieces bearing different reference numbers, it’s time for some explanation. We will walk you through all the different numbers, the meaning of these reference numbers and how you can identify these differences. Easy as that!
Kas Klerx
Chief Content
Published at:
Founded by Hans Wilsdorf, the company focused on making high-end luxury watches from solid gold and stainless-steel. Later on, Rolex introduced ‘Rolesor’ two-tone, which was a combination of stainless-steel and solid 18 karat yellow gold. The Datejust was the real starter for success when it comes to the Rolex history, making the watch extremely popular and highly sought-after by enthusiasts.
A Rolex reference number is a model-specific identifier that provides detailed information about a watch, including its model type, material, bezel style, and production period. Rolex reference numbers range from 4 to 6 digits, with earlier models having shorter numbers. For example, newer models often add a digit to older reference numbers to signify updates.
The main difference between a Rolex reference number and a serial number is their purpose. A reference number identifies a watch's model, features, and production era, and can be shared by multiple watches. In contrast, a serial number is unique to each individual watch, identifying it specifically and often indicating its production date.
When it comes to the first two, three or even four numbers in the reference, you can extract the model from the Rolex catalog, with the following numbers:
| Model Numbers | Watch Model |
|---|---|
| 55, 140, 116 | Rolex Air-King |
| 16, 162, 1162, 1263 | Rolex Datejust |
| 1163 | Rolex Datejust II |
| 679, 791, 1791, 2791 | Rolex Lady-Datejust |
| 65, 18, 180, 182, 183, 1182, 2282 | Rolex Day-Date |
| 2182 | Rolex Day-Date II |
| 62, 162, 165, 1165 | Rolex Daytona |
| 142, 10, 1142, 2142 | Rolex Explorer |
| 16, 165, 2165 | Rolex Explorer II |
| 10, 140, 142, 114 | Rolex Oyster Perpetual |
| Model Numbers | Watch Model |
|---|---|
| 65, 10, 1164 | Rolex Millgauss |
| 16, 166, 1166, 1266 | Rolex Sea-Dweller |
| 55, 140, 1140 | Rolex Submariner |
| 16, 166, 168, 1166 | Rolex Submariner (No date) |
| 65, 16, 1675 | Rolex GMT-Master |
| 167, 1167, 1267 | Rolex GMT-Master II |
| 166, 686, 696, 1686, 1696, 1166 | Rolex Yacht-Master |
| 1166 | Rolex Yacht-Master II |
| 326 | Rolex Sky-Dweller |
So, the first two or three numbers in the reference from Rolex can extract the exact model, while the following numbers in the reference contain some features, as explained below:
| Bezel Number | Bezel Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Polished bezel |
| 1 | Finely Engine Turned bezel |
| 2 | Engine Turned bezel |
| 3 | Fluted (solid gold) bezel |
| 4 | Hand-crafted bezel |
| 5 | Pyramid bezel |
| 6 | Rotating bezel |
| 7 | Various |
Rolex also makes clear what material they’ve used on the specific watch, with reference numbers explaining the following:
| Material Number | Material Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Stainless-steel |
| 1 | Stainless-steel & Rose gold (Everose) |
| 2 | Stainless-steel & Platinum |
| 3 | Stainless-steel & Yellow gold (Rolesor) |
| 4 | Stainless-steel & White gold |
| 5 | Rose gold |
| 6 | Platinum |
| 7 | 14k yellow gold |
| 8 | 18k yellow gold |
| 9 | 18k white gold |
There are some other reference numbers (in fact, letters), that tells some other information, often about the bezel or crystal of the watch:
| Letters | Feature |
|---|---|
| BLRO | Bleu/Rouge: Blue and Red bezel. Often seen on the Rolex Pepsi. |
| BLNR | Bleu/Noir: Blue and Black bezel. Often seen on the Rolex Batman or Rolex Batwoman. |
| VTNR | Verte/Noir: the green and black bezel. Found on the relatively new GMT-Master II Sprite. |
| LN | Lunette Noir: Black bezel. |
| LV | Lunette Verte: Green bezel. Often seen on the Rolex Submariner Hulk. |
| LB | Lunette Bleu: Blue bezel. |
| GV | Glasse Verte: Green coloured crystal. Often seen on the (discontinued) Rolex Milgauss. |
| RNBW | Rainbow: Multi coloured Saphire Set Bezel. Often seen on the Rolex Daytone Rainbow. |
| CHNR | Chocolat/Noir: Black and (chocolate) brown bezel. Often seen on the Rootbeer. |
| SA | Sapphirs: A bezel set with sapphires |
| SANR | Sapphirs-Noir: A bezel set with baguette-cut black sapphires and diamonds. |
| SARU | Saphirs-Rubis: A bezel set with sapphires and rubies. |
| SABR | Sapphirs-Brilliants: A bezel set with Sapphires and diamonds. |
This beautiful Rolex Day-Date, which is the so called Rolex President, bears the reference number 18238. The first three numbers (182) tells us it is a Rolex Day-Date. The next number (3) tells us it is a Fluted Solid Gold bezel. The final number (8) tells us that the rest of the watch is made from 18k yellow gold.
With these reference numbers, you can now extract the materials used on the watch, the bezel and the model in the Rolex catalog, making it a lot easier for you to see which model is presented, bearing a reference number. Since Rolex produces a lot of different materials and watches, expect to see some more reference numbers in the future, since Rolex always presents some new models.
Copy the link below to click one of the platforms below.
100% Authentic watches
Safe delivery or pick-up
Warranty & easy returns
