Serial Numbers

Waterford started out using this system from the company’s founding in 1993 through early 1995. It consisted of six components:

• Size Code: The size code represented the center to top seatmast measurement, rounded to the nearest 5mm. For example, a 55cm frame had a serial number starting with 550. Mountain bikes required rounding since they were built in one or two inch size increments. Occasionally, custom frames might not have the same size as indicated by the serial number.
• Product Code: Waterford used “A” just about all the time, it being a remnant of the older Paramount system.
• Company Code: “L” indicated a Waterford branded frame.
• Factory Code: A W followed to indicate a bike coming from the Waterford factory.
• Month Code: This one letter code corresponds to the month with A=January, B=Febuary and so on. Because I is not used, September=J and December=M.
• Year Code: This two digit code is the last two digits of the year – 96 is 1996.
• Sequence Number: This three digit number represents the nth frame and/or fork scheduled during the month.

Waterford streamlined the serial numbers to the last three components of the self-describing serial number:

• Month Code: This one letter code corresponds to the month with A=January, B=Febuary and so on. Because I is not used, September=J and December=M.
• Year Code: This two digit code is the last two digits of the year – 96 is 1996.
• Sequence Number: This three digit number represents the nth frame and/or fork scheduled during the month.

Though a gap may appear between the letter and the rest of the serial number (a result of Waterford’s serial numbering machine, the serial number is recorded in our records without spaces. A number that shows up as “D 08123” is recorded as “D08123”.