Seiko Watches - Date your watch by serial number to find the production date.

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Seikos have the date of manufacture written into the serial number which is engraved on the back of the watch ( see image above) also the movement-model numbers are also engraved onto the case back (again see image above.) The first number of the serial number represents the year and the second number (or letter) represents the month (1-9 for Jan.-Sept. and O,N and D for October, November and December).For example if the  serial number was 864825 and you knew the watch was made sometime in the 1970's it would indicate it to be made in June 1978. You have to know the age of the watch to the nearest decade so sometimes it can be a little bit difficult. Usually the case style or the introduction dates of the movement can help to narrow this down though.The movement caliber number is the number before the hyphen/dash so in the image above the movement caliber number is 7L22 and the serial number is 3n1657

General rule for manufacture month/year is to look at 1st digit of serial # to say what year within decade. Then look at 2nd digit/letter to tell month. For month, 1-9 are Jan thru Sep, with 'O' for Oct, 'N' for Nov, and 'D' for Dec.

For decade itself, you have to know the actual production dates of the movement itself. If you don't you could e mail  Seiko customer service in (Japan) ,quoting model and serial numbers and they should be able to help,here is their e mail address below

yserv@seiko-watch.co.jp

"Waterproof" vs. "Water Resistant": Seiko stopped using "Waterproof" on the case backs around 1968–1971.

Case Markings: A square box symbol containing characters often indicates the watch was produced from 1976 onwards.

This is also worth a try THE SEIKO WATCH PRODUCTION DATE CALCULATOR  if you are not sure what decade your Seiko was made in , it works for some but not others but a nifty little application

Iconic Seiko Movements & Production Eras

Important Notes on Seiko Calibers

Production Dates: Many "start" dates refer to the year of introduction. Because Seiko often maintains production of a single movement family for decades (with various updates, e.g., the 7S series evolving into the 4R/6R series), end dates are often indefinite or phased out gradually.

 

Identifying Your Watch: If you are trying to date a specific watch, you cannot rely on the movement alone. You must look at the case back, which typically features a six-digit serial number.

 

The first digit indicates the year (e.g., "6" could be 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006, 2016, or 2026).The second digit indicates the month (1–9, followed by O, N, or D for October, November, December).

 

Resources for Collectors: For detailed technical data on almost any specific caliber Caliber Corner is widely considered the most comprehensive and reliable database for Seiko movements.

should you happen to find any mistakes with our information then please contact the webmaster.

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 [American Waltham | Audemars Piguet | Blancpain | Breitling | Bulova | Cartier | Corum | Ellesse |Fortis]
[Girard Perregaux | Gucci | IWC | Jaeger le Coultre | Longines]
[Movado | Oris | Omega | Patek Philippe | Rolex | Seiko | Tag Heuer]