Reference library
How we code dial variants
A Rolex reference can identify important features, but does not always identify the exact dial, hour markers and bracelet. Some references were offered in several configurations. Check the complete model description as well as the number.
So on our reference pages we label each variant in plain English and add a short code. That code is ours. Rolex did not issue it, it will not appear on your papers, and you should not quote it to anyone as a reference. It is a convenience for comparing configurations on this site.
Reading our code
Three parts, always hyphenated, always behind an SDJB badge:
SDJB BK-S-O
= Black dial · Stick markers · Oyster bracelet
1. Dial colour
BKBlackBLBlueWWhiteSSilverGYSlate or greyRRhodiumCChampagneGGreenCHChocolateIVIvoryPPink
2. Hour markers
SStick or batonRRoman numeralsAArabic numeralsDDiamond set
3. Bracelet
OOyster, three flat linksJJubilee, five links, rounded centrePPresidentOFOysterflexLLeather strapPMPearlmaster
How to tell ours from the factory's
Factory letter suffixes are attached to the reference and can describe a bezel color or another feature. Read the full model specification; these are not our private dial and bracelet codes.
| LN | Lunette Noire, black bezel |
|---|---|
| LV | Lunette Verte, green bezel |
| LB | Lunette Bleue, blue bezel |
| BLNR | Bleu-Noir, the “Batman” |
| BLRO | Bleu-Rouge, the “Pepsi” |
| GRNR | Gris-Noir, the “Zombie” |
| CHNR | Chocolat-Noir, the “Root Beer” |
| GV | Glace Verte, green sapphire crystal |
| BK-S-O | Black dial, stick markers, Oyster |
|---|---|
| W-R-J | White dial, Roman numerals, Jubilee |
| C-D-P | Champagne dial, diamond markers, President |
| GY-R-O | Slate dial, Roman numerals, Oyster |
One collision worth knowing. Read as a factory suffix,
BLRO is Bleu-Rouge, the Pepsi bezel. Read as a dealer dial
code, the same four letters can mean BLue ROman dial. If you meet
BLRO in a listing, check which system the seller is using
before you assume anything about the bezel. This is precisely why our own
code is hyphenated and badged.
Read the Rolex reference-number guide and source examples
Why any of this exists
A dealer selling one used watch at a time needs to name the exact watch,
and the reference number cannot do it. So dealers build private codes.
Bob’s Watches, for instance, appends its own dial and bracelet
letters to the reference in its product data, which is how a
116710LN can appear in a feed as 116710BKSO.
There is nothing wrong with that until it leaks. A private code that looks like a reference is how a buyer ends up searching for a watch that does not exist. Ours is written down, on this page, and always marked as ours.