Hi Keith, I guess (in this post) with OS version 1.2.8 the start date for the counter was reset (from originally 01.01.1970) to some day in October 2015, probably the date of production start.
You might get the (almost) correct ownership date by entering a SIM card (so the phone can connect to a network and get the current date) and then doing a hard reset - if you think it’s worth the effort.