diff --git a/lib/src/sql/datetime.rs b/lib/src/sql/datetime.rs
index 926f794c..acc6c1e7 100644
--- a/lib/src/sql/datetime.rs
+++ b/lib/src/sql/datetime.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ use crate::sql::duration::Duration;
 use crate::sql::error::IResult;
 use crate::sql::escape::quote_str;
 use crate::sql::strand::Strand;
-use chrono::{DateTime, FixedOffset, Offset, SecondsFormat, TimeZone, Utc};
-use chrono::{NaiveDate, NaiveDateTime, NaiveTime};
+use chrono::{
+	DateTime, FixedOffset, NaiveDate, NaiveDateTime, NaiveTime, Offset, SecondsFormat, TimeZone,
+	Utc,
+};
 use nom::branch::alt;
 use nom::character::complete::char;
 use nom::combinator::map;
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ pub(crate) const TOKEN: &str = "$surrealdb::private::sql::Datetime";
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Eq, PartialEq, PartialOrd, Serialize, Deserialize, Hash)]
 #[serde(rename = "$surrealdb::private::sql::Datetime")]
-pub struct Datetime(pub DateTime<Utc>);
+pub struct Datetime(#[serde(with = "ts_binary")] pub DateTime<Utc>);
 
 impl Default for Datetime {
 	fn default() -> Self {
@@ -270,6 +272,57 @@ fn sign(i: &str) -> IResult<&str, i32> {
 	})(i)
 }
 
+/// Lexicographic, relatively size efficient binary serialization
+pub mod ts_binary {
+	use chrono::{offset::TimeZone, DateTime, Utc};
+	use core::fmt;
+	use serde::{
+		de::{self, SeqAccess},
+		ser::{self, SerializeTuple},
+	};
+
+	/// Serialize a UTC datetime into an integer number of nanoseconds since the epoch
+	pub fn serialize<S>(dt: &DateTime<Utc>, serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+	where
+		S: ser::Serializer,
+	{
+		let mut tuple = serializer.serialize_tuple(2)?;
+		tuple.serialize_element(&dt.timestamp())?;
+		tuple.serialize_element(&dt.timestamp_subsec_nanos())?;
+		tuple.end()
+	}
+
+	/// Deserialize a [`DateTime`] from a nanosecond timestamp
+	pub fn deserialize<'de, D>(d: D) -> Result<DateTime<Utc>, D::Error>
+	where
+		D: de::Deserializer<'de>,
+	{
+		d.deserialize_tuple(2, TimestampVisitor)
+	}
+
+	struct TimestampVisitor;
+
+	impl<'de> de::Visitor<'de> for TimestampVisitor {
+		type Value = DateTime<Utc>;
+
+		fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+			formatter.write_str("a unix timestamp tuple")
+		}
+
+		fn visit_seq<A>(self, mut seq: A) -> Result<Self::Value, A::Error>
+		where
+			A: SeqAccess<'de>,
+		{
+			let secs = seq.next_element()?.ok_or_else(|| de::Error::custom("invalid timestamp"))?;
+			let nanos =
+				seq.next_element()?.ok_or_else(|| de::Error::custom("invalid timestamp"))?;
+			Utc.timestamp_opt(secs, nanos)
+				.single()
+				.ok_or_else(|| de::Error::custom("invalid timestamp"))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
 
diff --git a/lib/src/sql/regex.rs b/lib/src/sql/regex.rs
index 7b7df2db..d9ebf5f0 100644
--- a/lib/src/sql/regex.rs
+++ b/lib/src/sql/regex.rs
@@ -90,24 +90,41 @@ impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for Regex {
 	where
 		D: Deserializer<'de>,
 	{
-		struct RegexVisitor;
+		struct RegexNewtypeVisitor;
 
-		impl<'de> Visitor<'de> for RegexVisitor {
+		impl<'de> Visitor<'de> for RegexNewtypeVisitor {
 			type Value = Regex;
 
 			fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-				formatter.write_str("a regex str")
+				formatter.write_str("a regex newtype")
 			}
 
-			fn visit_str<E>(self, value: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+			fn visit_newtype_struct<D>(self, deserializer: D) -> Result<Self::Value, D::Error>
 			where
-				E: de::Error,
+				D: Deserializer<'de>,
 			{
-				Regex::from_str(value).map_err(|_| de::Error::custom("invalid regex"))
+				struct RegexVisitor;
+
+				impl<'de> Visitor<'de> for RegexVisitor {
+					type Value = Regex;
+
+					fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+						formatter.write_str("a regex str")
+					}
+
+					fn visit_str<E>(self, value: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+					where
+						E: de::Error,
+					{
+						Regex::from_str(value).map_err(|_| de::Error::custom("invalid regex"))
+					}
+				}
+
+				deserializer.deserialize_str(RegexVisitor)
 			}
 		}
 
-		deserializer.deserialize_str(RegexVisitor)
+		deserializer.deserialize_newtype_struct(TOKEN, RegexNewtypeVisitor)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/datetime/mod.rs b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/datetime/mod.rs
index aac53d18..7d4adc1a 100644
--- a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/datetime/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/datetime/mod.rs
@@ -1,58 +1,94 @@
 use crate::err::Error;
 use crate::sql::value::serde::ser;
+use crate::sql::Datetime;
 use chrono::offset::Utc;
-use chrono::DateTime;
+use chrono::TimeZone;
+use ser::Serializer as _;
 use serde::ser::Error as _;
 use serde::ser::Impossible;
 use serde::Serialize;
-use std::fmt::Display;
 
 pub(super) struct Serializer;
 
 impl ser::Serializer for Serializer {
-	type Ok = DateTime<Utc>;
+	type Ok = Datetime;
 	type Error = Error;
 
-	type SerializeSeq = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeTuple = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeTupleStruct = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeTupleVariant = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeMap = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeStruct = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
-	type SerializeStructVariant = Impossible<DateTime<Utc>, Error>;
+	type SerializeSeq = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
+	type SerializeTuple = SerializeDatetime;
+	type SerializeTupleStruct = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
+	type SerializeTupleVariant = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
+	type SerializeMap = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
+	type SerializeStruct = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
+	type SerializeStructVariant = Impossible<Datetime, Error>;
 
-	const EXPECTED: &'static str = "a struct `DateTime<Utc>`";
+	const EXPECTED: &'static str = "a struct `Datetime`";
 
 	#[inline]
-	fn collect_str<T: ?Sized>(self, value: &T) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error>
-	where
-		T: Display,
-	{
-		value.to_string().parse().map_err(Error::custom)
+	fn serialize_tuple(self, len: usize) -> Result<Self::SerializeTuple, Self::Error> {
+		debug_assert_eq!(len, 2);
+		Ok(SerializeDatetime::default())
 	}
 
 	#[inline]
 	fn serialize_newtype_struct<T>(
 		self,
-		_name: &'static str,
+		name: &'static str,
 		value: &T,
 	) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error>
 	where
 		T: ?Sized + Serialize,
 	{
+		debug_assert_eq!(name, crate::sql::datetime::TOKEN);
 		value.serialize(self.wrap())
 	}
 }
 
+#[derive(Default)]
+pub(super) struct SerializeDatetime {
+	secs: Option<i64>,
+	nanos: Option<u32>,
+}
+
+impl serde::ser::SerializeTuple for SerializeDatetime {
+	type Ok = Datetime;
+	type Error = Error;
+
+	fn serialize_element<T>(&mut self, value: &T) -> Result<(), Self::Error>
+	where
+		T: Serialize + ?Sized,
+	{
+		if self.secs.is_none() {
+			self.secs = Some(value.serialize(ser::primitive::i64::Serializer.wrap())?);
+		} else if self.nanos.is_none() {
+			self.nanos = Some(value.serialize(ser::primitive::u32::Serializer.wrap())?);
+		} else {
+			return Err(Error::custom(format!("unexpected `Datetime` 3rd field`")));
+		}
+		Ok(())
+	}
+
+	fn end(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+		match (self.secs, self.nanos) {
+			(Some(secs), Some(nanos)) => Utc
+				.timestamp_opt(secs, nanos)
+				.single()
+				.map(Datetime)
+				.ok_or_else(|| Error::custom("invalid `Datetime`")),
+			_ => Err(Error::custom("`Datetime` missing required value(s)")),
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
 	use super::*;
-	use ser::Serializer as _;
+	use crate::sql::Datetime;
 	use serde::Serialize;
 
 	#[test]
 	fn now() {
-		let dt = Utc::now();
+		let dt = Datetime::from(Utc::now());
 		let serialized = dt.serialize(Serializer.wrap()).unwrap();
 		assert_eq!(dt, serialized);
 	}
diff --git a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/value/mod.rs b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/value/mod.rs
index d672c20b..b5292ba2 100644
--- a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/value/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/value/mod.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ use crate::sql::value::serde::ser;
 use crate::sql::value::Value;
 use crate::sql::Block;
 use crate::sql::Bytes;
-use crate::sql::Datetime;
 use crate::sql::Duration;
 use crate::sql::Future;
 use crate::sql::Ident;
@@ -227,7 +226,7 @@ impl ser::Serializer for Serializer {
 				Ok(Value::Uuid(Uuid(value.serialize(ser::uuid::Serializer.wrap())?)))
 			}
 			sql::datetime::TOKEN => {
-				Ok(Value::Datetime(Datetime(value.serialize(ser::datetime::Serializer.wrap())?)))
+				Ok(Value::Datetime(value.serialize(ser::datetime::Serializer.wrap())?))
 			}
 			_ => value.serialize(self.wrap()),
 		}
diff --git a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/version/opt.rs b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/version/opt.rs
index 3e036bbf..b6e4fb0f 100644
--- a/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/version/opt.rs
+++ b/lib/src/sql/value/serde/ser/version/opt.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 use crate::err::Error;
 use crate::sql::value::serde::ser;
-use crate::sql::Datetime;
 use crate::sql::Version;
 use serde::ser::Impossible;
 use serde::ser::Serialize;
@@ -31,7 +30,20 @@ impl ser::Serializer for Serializer {
 	where
 		T: ?Sized + Serialize,
 	{
-		Ok(Some(Version(Datetime(value.serialize(ser::datetime::Serializer.wrap())?))))
+		value.serialize(self.wrap())
+	}
+
+	#[inline]
+	fn serialize_newtype_struct<T>(
+		self,
+		name: &'static str,
+		value: &T,
+	) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error>
+	where
+		T: ?Sized + Serialize,
+	{
+		debug_assert_eq!(name, "Version");
+		Ok(Some(Version(value.serialize(ser::datetime::Serializer.wrap())?)))
 	}
 }