- #CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
- #CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
- #CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS ARCHIVE#
It wasn’t used on a larger scale though, except for WW2-era German military watches, where the specifications required a shock device. The most popular one, Incabloc, was patented in the early 1930s. It became a standard feature around 1950-1952. 1940s/1950s style in the 1960s/1970s? Yes.īefore the early 1950s, the majority of watches had no shock device. Were there late 1940s watches straight out of the 1930s, with fixed lugs and the general looks of a 1930s piece? Yes. Not a difficult method, but it doesn’t always work. Unless you were lucky and bought a presentation watch with an inscription of a date. With Doxa, it isn’t that bad, although for pre-1940 watches it can be a challenge. Often, the archives weren’t kept safe.įor example, Doxa’s archives were flooded somewhere around 1965 and a fire destroyed Cyma’s records. Some brands were simply careless when it comes to keeping records. That happens if the brand no longer exists, or was “reactivated” after going bankrupt.
#CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS ARCHIVE#
Generally, they’ll provide all that they have in their archive for a specific watch.Įxtract from the Archives from Longines What if the records are gone? When was the movement made, what case should it be in, model details, where was the watch invoiced, etc. Zenith and Omega used to work the same way but sadly, not anymore. Longines provides information about all their vintage pieces at no costs at all. This will often cost you more than 100 USD.įun fact: Patek Philippe won’t charge you anything if the movement number doesn’t match the case. Omega, Zenith, PP, and VC, for example, won’t tell you a thing, unless you order an extract from the archives. If that’s the case, you can contact the manufacturer although that’s usually expensive. Sometimes, resources aren’t available or they don’t answer your questions.
#CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBER#
Omega placed the year of manufacture of a particular batch of cases immediately after the reference number in Speedmasters.įor Doxa, the first two digits of the case serial number mark the year (only for watches made between 19). Rolex sometimes has put the quarter or the month in Roman numerals, and the year in Arabic numerals on the case back. Bulova used a letter to mark the decade, a number from 0 to 9 to mark the year in the decade. Some brands, like Bulova, used simple means of marking the date of manufacture. Obviously, not all of their watches are listed in there but unfortunately, that’s as good as it gets. You can check if the case, movement, and dial are a match if you have a reference number. But you can also look up the reference numbers in the Omega Vintage Database. Omega kept archives that are accurate enough to date their watches by serial numbers.
OnTheDash has entire lists of various models, with production years given. That’s because production years of a specific model are known. The documentation of some brands is good enough to come up with a rough date of manufacture.
In case of many serial number resources for a brand, check the serial with all of them. So, always make sure that you’re matching the serial number with the right resource. Before that, they had a separate system for watches made at their French factory in Besancon. Zenith changed their serial number system circa 1962.
#CYMA POCKET WATCH SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS#
Omega serial numbers are different for Speedmasters. For example, Doxa used separate serial number systems for solid gold cases. Keep in mind, that it’s important to research the system of production markings specific to a brand. Different serial number systems within one brand So, their serial numbers are also available. High-end brands like Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin kept (and still keep) excellent records. If there are official resources, they usually make their way into the Internet and aren’t hard to look up. That would be Omega, Longines, Rolex, Zenith, etc. Usually for the ones that kept accurate records. Serial number charts are only available for a handful of manufacturers though. Sometimes they’re compiled by brand aficionados, who attempt to combine all the bits of knowledge into one resource. The first thing to check are serial number charts.