I bought this watch recently and it arrived today. I’m very happy with it but when I was looking at the serial numbers between the lugs I can just make out 1153. I wondered if it would of been recased or is this normal as it’s the same case on both models.

 

Either is possible - they are the same case, and there have been some instances where leftover stock may have been used. It's also possible it's been recased, but there's no way to tell for sure. Do you see the serial number? If it's too low, then that might point to it being a recase since the 1153 began production a few years before the 1553.

 

Did you check or ask the seller beforehand? Is there a return policy? The watch looks great but a mismatched case will probably affect the resale value somewhat.

 

I think the serial number starts 22 but I will look under a loupe and see what they are. It doesn’t matter as the ref number is so faded that it will not be long before you can’t see anything.

 

I looked and it’s 222472

 

That's fairly in range with the introduction of the 1553, though there was an earlier dial variant for the N I might expect to see. Those are exceedingly rare however, and I doubt saw even a full year of production before being changed. I don't think there's any red flag there