What does “Card Dated” mean?

The card date is the date of sale filled in on a watch's warranty card. Since brands such as Rolex moved to random serial numbers, the card date is often the clearest guide to when a modern watch was sold, and dealers describe watches by it: a '2023 card' or 'card dated March 2024'.

The card date matters for several reasons. It shows how much of the manufacturer's warranty remains, since the warranty period usually runs from the date of sale. It helps place the watch within a model's production run, and for current models a recent card date often means a higher price. Note that the card date is the sale date, not the production date: a watch can sit in a shop's stock for a while before it is sold. When listing, give the month and year if possible, as buyers compare on both.

Example: 'Card dated June 2024, so the five-year warranty runs into 2029.'