Breguet Serial Numbers Explained
Breguet watches are renowned for their guilloche dials, outstanding finishing, classic dressy aesthetic, and 250-year history. One of the brand’s well-known quirks is their practice of putting serial numbers on their dials. There’s more to Breguet serial numbers than what you see on the dial, though. On modern Breguets, there’s also a one- or two-letter suffix on the caseback that can give you a rough idea of the year it was made. Here’s our quick guide to Breguet serial numbers.
How Do Breguet Serial Numbers Work?
At least since Breguet was purchased by Investcorp in 1987, they’ve been repeatedly cycling through serial numbers 250 through 5500 (approximately) followed by one or two letters. Only the number portion appears on the dial, but the full serial is on the caseback.
Breguet does seem to go through the serial suffixes sequentially, beginning with A in the 1980’s and reaching Z sometime around 2007 (and then starting over at AA). Breguet’s purchase by the Swatch Group in 1999 helped increase their output but it did not affect their serial numbering scheme.
Note that Breguet’s pilot’s chronographs (the Type XX/20/XXI/XXII family, revived in 1995), for whatever reason, do not follow the same format. Their serial numbers have no alphabetical suffix, and can be five digits long. So with that said, let’s sum up the approximate timeline for all other Breguet serial numbers since the late 1980’s:
Breguet Serial Number Chart (1987-2024)
| Year | Serial Suffix |
|---|---|
| 1987-1991 | A |
| 1992-1993 | B |
| 1994 | C |
| 1995 | D |
| 1996 | E |
| 1997 | F |
| 1998 | G |
| 1999 | H |
| 2000 | I, J |
| 2001 | K, L |
| 2002 | M, N |
| 2003 | O, P |
| 2004 | Q, R |
| 2005 | S, T, U |
| 2006 | V, W, X |
| 2007 | Y, Z, AA |
| 2008 | AB, AC, AD |
| 2009 | AE, AF, AG |
| 2010 | AH, AI, AJ, AK |
| 2011 | AL, AM, AN, AO |
| 2012 | AP, AQ, AR, AS, AT |
| 2013 | AU, AV, AW, AX, AY |
| 2014 | AZ, BA, BB, BC |
| 2015 | BD, BE, BF, BG |
| 2016 | BH, BI, BJ |
| 2017 | BK, BL, BM |
| 2018 | BN, BO, BP |
| 2019 | BQ, BR, BS |
| 2020 | BT, BU, BV |
| 2021 | BW, BX, BY |
| 2022 | BZ, CA, CB |
| 2023 | CD, CE, CF |
| 2024 | CG, CH, CI |
Note that this chart is based on our best estimates of Breguet’s output over the years, and might not be perfectly accurate. A given watch might have been made one or two years before or after what is shown above, but this should give you a general idea of Breguet serial number timeframes (aside from Type XX models, as mentioned).
Getting an Extract from the Archives
Breguet’s recordkeeping is among the most meticulous in the luxury watch industry, and they have sale and service data going back centuries. So, while you can roughly estimate years of production from Breguet serial numbers, if you want to know exactly when your Breguet was originally sold (and to whom) you can pay Breguet for an archive extract of your watch.
Simply make an enquiry on Breguet’s website, and expect to pay about $550 for the service. And if you’ve already gotten an archive extract from Breguet, feel free to let us know if the noted year of sale aligns with our chart above!
Related Reading:
Rolex Serial Number Guide
A General History of Watch Serial Numbers
Underrated Luxury Watch Brands
A Quick History of Daniel Roth Watches
Leave a Reply