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Longines serial number checker

Bound a factory movement serial between historical milestones, then use Longines' archive for precision.

Returns a yearOptional photo OCR

Check your serial number

Spaces, dots, and dashes are fine. Manual checks run in your browser. Photo reads log your IP and usage to enforce daily limits; photos are not stored.

Reference only—not an authenticity verdict

A plausible date code can appear on a counterfeit, and an unusual or unreadable code does not by itself make an item counterfeit. Use the result as one clue alongside construction, materials, provenance, and expert review.

Decoding guide

How the Longines rule works

Historical Longines movement-serial milestones support a bounded period. The brand's own archive records remain the authority for an individual watch.

Read it in three passes

Follow the positions in order before interpreting the result.

1
Confirm that the number is a Longines factory movement serial rather than a local case reference.
2
Use the two surrounding historical milestones as a window instead of calculating a false exact year.
3
Use Longines' archive service when exact register information matters.

Worked examples

See how a visible marking becomes a narrow, readable result.

Marking	Interpretation
9521000	→Bounded by the 1953 and 1956 movement milestones

Where to look

Factory-completed watches through the historical ledger period often repeat the serial on case and movement, but locally cased exports can carry an unrelated case number. Avoid opening a watch without suitable expertise.

Know the limit

The public milestone table stops at 15,000,000; values beyond it are not extrapolated.

These rules explain documented marking patterns. They do not prove that an item is authentic.

Full reference

Longines codes, era by era

Longines preserves production records dating back to 1867. Public serial milestones can suggest a period, while the brand's archive service is the authoritative route for an individual watch.

01Compiled reference

Historical serial milestones

Each row is a documented or compiled anchor, not the start of a guaranteed one-year block. The checker returns the two surrounding dates instead of inventing an exact year between them.

Longines serial milestones from 1867 through 1969
Serial milestone	Approximate date
1	1867
20,000	1870
100,000	1875
250,000	1882
500,000	1888
750,000	1893
1,000,000	February 1899
1,250,000	1901
1,500,000	1904
1,750,000	1905
2,000,000	July 1907
2,250,000	1909
2,500,000	1911
2,750,000	1912
3,000,000	August 1913
3,250,000	1915
3,500,000	1917
3,750,000	1919
4,000,000	October 1922
4,250,000	1925
4,500,000	1926
4,750,000	1928
5,000,000	October 1929
5,250,000	1934
5,500,000	1937
5,750,000	1938
6,000,000	June 1940
7,000,000	July 1945
8,000,000	May 1950
9,000,000	July 1953
10,000,000	May 1956
11,000,000	April 1959
12,000,000	May 1962
13,000,000	June 1966
14,000,000	February 1967
15,000,000	February 1969

02Documented

Extracts and certificates

Longines offers distinct archive products. An extract reports information found in historical registers; a certificate involves a separate technical examination.

Longines historical-information services
Service	Current published eligibility	What it provides
Extract from the archives	Watch older than 10 years	Register information; published fee CHF 120 and typical 4–5 week processing
Certificate of authenticity	Eligible historical watch submitted for examination	Physical assessment; published fee CHF 300

Fees, eligibility, and turnaround can change. Confirm the current terms on Longines' official page before ordering.

03Documented

Record the right number safely

The production serial may be on the movement or case depending on the era. A model or calibre number is not interchangeable with it.

Up to serial 15,000,000, factory-completed watches generally carried matching case and movement numbers; later numbers can differ.
Longines also exported uncased movements. A locally made case can carry its own unrelated reference, while the Longines factory serial appears only on the movement.
Historical numbers were allocated when a movement batch began, so completion, casing, dispatch, and sale could occur later.
Do not open a watch solely for an online lookup unless you have suitable tools and experience.
Archive requests require clear photographs and correctly identified case and movement numbers.
A public circa estimate should yield to Longines' own historical register for an individual piece.

Sources and method

Brand and archive material is preferred where it exists. Public decoding tables are identified as compiled references or observed patterns so their uncertainty stays visible.