Aquaterra - Date by Serial Number

Posts
50
Likes
22
Hi all,

Is there any way to find out the production year of a second generation Seamaster Aquaterra Quartz with serial number 91MM?

Thanks!
 
Posts
10,357
Likes
16,210
The only way really is to post more of your serial (4-5 digits is enough) and ask members with the same or similar watch and dated papers to compare theirs. This works with popular models like the Speedmaster and SMP and should work with yours hopefully but that’s it on anything newer than around 1990. Some of us keep serial and date info but I can’t help with that particular model.
 
Posts
50
Likes
22
The only way really is to post more of your serial (4-5 digits is enough) and ask members with the same or similar watch and dated papers to compare theirs. This works with popular models like the Speedmaster and SMP and should work with yours hopefully but that’s it on anything newer than around 1990. Some of us keep serial and date info but I can’t help with that particular model.
Thanks, man.

The complete SN is 91102504.
 
Posts
1,521
Likes
1,560
Thanks, man. These online tables are very inaccurate for some cases.
Yep, I'm aware, but that is the best you're going to get.
 
Posts
1,521
Likes
1,560
Well no it's not. If enough AT owners notice this thread eventually it should get some meaningful hits. The problem with dating by serial these days is that serials are sequential but run in ranges for groups of models. As a for instance quartz ATs might be running in 90m when the autos sold at the same time may be running in 89m. I can't see how that website can be remotely accurate if it doesn't know what model family the serial relates to. It will probably be accurate to within 5 years at best. The AT serials may run int eh same range as other more common Seamasters like the SMP or PO but then again they may not.

It may be worth you adding Aqua Terra and date by serial to the title and hopefully an owner may pop by. These threads do get results, but it can take some time...
Note that will get you, presumably, 'year sold', not really year manufactured.

As far as how they'd know, my understanding is that the serials are unique, no matter of the reference and, allegedly, were issued reasonly sequentially across all references. I'd bet it is way better than 5 years in that case, I can't imagine Omega would skip sync'ing serial numbers for 5 years.
 
Posts
10,357
Likes
16,210
Hmm I posted then delete a diatribe slagging off that site, but the truth is up until 2012 it is pretty accurate even for stuff after 1990 which traditionally didnt fun fully sequentially. Interesting!!!! They must have somehow figured out which ranges were in use and when. I've tested it against about 20 known serials from 1995 to 2020 and as long as it's pre 2012 it works well. It can for instance cope with the fact that in some years quartz and auto used very different serials.

I can confirm it loses the plot after 2012 but it is very useful for stuff before then.
Edited:
 
Posts
1,521
Likes
1,560
Hmm I posted then delete a diatribe slagging off that site, but the truth is up until 2012 it is pretty accurate even for stuff after 1990 which traditionally didnt fun fully sequentially. Interesting!!!! They must have somehow figured out which ranges were in use and when.

I can confirm it loses the plot after 2012 but it is very useful for stuff before then.
Curious on the diatribe! I find Emmy's pretty reasonably informative on movements in general (and for helping track down parts when working on them).

I've seen a few of the serial number searches, and they all seem reasonably consistent? At least good to a year or so. And yeah, 2012 seems to be when all of the serial number search sites lose their bacon, I wonder if Omega followed Rolex and started scrambling serials at that point.
 
Posts
10,357
Likes
16,210
Something changed after 2012 clearly. I don't think they went fully random though since if you look at 2 examples of models from a similar time frame there is still a relationship. The Trilogy models for instance ran in 89m for the RM an SM and the Speedy ran in 78.7m. Recent SMPs seem to be in the 83m range etc etc. There is a pattern, it's just hard to discern without loads of data.
Edited: