Louis Vuitton Date Code Checker
The Evolution of Louis Vuitton Date Codes
The use of Louis Vuitton date codes began in the early 1980s. Models from before that time can be purchased without such a code. When they were first introduced, the date codes were still quite simple in structure. They consisted of three numbers, with the first two numbers indicating the year and the third number indicating the month.
For example, the code "851" stood for production in the 1. quarter 1985. In the following decades, the structure of the date codes changed considerably, as the following breakdown shows. From 1989 onwards, the date code was changed.
Here, "J" stands for the production year, "W" for the week, "M" for the month, Q for the quarter, and "L" for the manufacturing country.
3 Numbers: JJQ(Example: 851 – 1. quarter 1985)
2 Lettersand3 Numbers: LLJJQ(Example: MI874 – France, 4. quarter 1987)
3 Numbersand2 Letters: JJQLL(Example: 862 RA – France, 2. quarter 1986)
2 Lettersand4 Numbers: LLJJMM(Example: VI8907 – France, July 1989)
4 Numbersand2 Letters: JJMMLL(Example: 8901 A2 – France, January 1989)
In the 1990s, there was a significant change in the structure of the date codes. The two letters at the beginning indicate the manufacturing facility. The numbers 1 and 3 stand for the month, and 2 and 4 for the year. A code like "MB0951" meant that the product was made in May 1991 in France.
From 2007, Louis Vuitton established a format with two letters and four numbers for its date codes, and this format remained in use until around 2021. For example, the code MB1159 indicated that the product was manufactured in the 15. calendar week of 2019 in France.
In March 2021, Louis Vuitton introduced another significant change. The brand largely decided to discontinue the use of date codes and instead switch to microchips (NFT) that can be read by staff in Louis Vuitton stores. This step was taken mainly to increase protection against counterfeiting. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that some newly introduced products still use date codes based on the previous system.
















