Reference Guide
Rolex Reference Numbers
Every Rolex carries a four- to six-digit reference number engraved between the lugs at the twelve o'clock position. On vintage and pre-2000 references, those digits are a code: the first segment tells you the watch type, the second digit indicates the bezel, and the third digit indicates the case material. Once you learn to read it, the reference itself tells you what you're looking at before you ever see the dial.
How to Read a Rolex Reference
Take the reference 16234 as an example. Split into its three sections — 162 · 3 · 4 — the digits decode as follows:
| Segment | Meaning |
|---|
| 162 | Datejust (watch type) |
| 3 | Fluted bezel |
| 4 | Stainless steel with 18k white gold |
So the 16234 reads as a stainless-and-white-gold Datejust with a fluted bezel. Modern six-digit references (116xxx, 126xxx, etc.) use a different numbering generation, but the same decoding logic — type, bezel, material — holds for vintage and pre-2000 production.
Type Prefixes
The first digits of the reference identify which model the watch is. Where multiple prefixes are listed, Rolex used different numbers across generations of the same model.
| Model | Reference Prefix |
|---|
| Submariner (no date) | 55, 140 |
| Submariner | 16, 166, 168 |
| Sea-Dweller | 16, 166 |
| GMT-Master | 16, 65, 167 |
| GMT-Master II | 167, 1167 |
| Day-Date (President) | 65, 66, 18, 180, 182, 183 |
| Datejust | 16, 162 |
| Daytona (manual wind) | 62 |
| Daytona Cosmograph | 165, 1165 |
| Explorer II | 165 |
| Oyster Perpetual | 10, 140, 142 |
| Air-King | 55, 140 |
| Date | 15, 150 |
| Oysterquartz Datejust | 170 |
| Oysterquartz Day-Date | 190 |
| Yacht-Master | 166, 686, 696 |
| Midsize Oyster Perpetual Datejust | 68, 682 |
| Ladies' Oyster Perpetual | 67, 671, 672 |
| Ladies' Date | 65, 69, 691, 692 |
| Ladies' Datejust | 65, 69, 691, 692 |
Bezel Codes
The second-to-last digit of the reference identifies the bezel style. Bezels are one of the most defining visual elements on a Rolex — fluted gold, polished steel, rotating sport — and this one digit tells you which you're looking at.
| Code | Bezel |
|---|
| 0 | Polished (smooth) |
| 1 | Engine Turned |
| 2 | Engine Turned (alternate finish) |
| 3 | Fluted |
| 4 | Hand-Crafted |
| 5 | Pyramid |
| 6 | Rotating Bezel |
Material Codes
The final digit of the reference identifies the case metal. Two-tone references encode both metals in the single digit.
| Code | Material |
|---|
| 0 | Stainless Steel |
| 1 | Yellow Gold Filled |
| 2 | White Gold Filled |
| 3 | Stainless Steel & Yellow Gold |
| 4 | Stainless Steel with 18k White Gold |
| 5 | Gold Shell |
| 6 | Platinum |
| 7 | 14k Yellow Gold |
| 8 | 18k Yellow Gold |
| 9 | 18k White Gold or Tridor |
Related Resources
Once you know the reference, the serial number tells you when it was made, and the nickname tells you what collectors call it.
Serial Numbers
Rolex Nicknames
