Omega Serial numbers

[Golazzo]

What does the serial number tell you just by looking at it?

[jmsrolls]

What does the serial number tell you just by looking at it?

Basically nothing.

Many think the movement number (serial number) reveals the date of manufacture based upon the various charts but it does not. The charts do not take into account that parts engraved with these numbers sit around in parts bins for days, weeks, months, even years before being assembled into watches.

Omega does not assemble them in any order. There is no "first in, first out".

Fr. John†

[Golazzo]

Cheers Ft John

[richardew]

Basically nothing.

Many think the movement number (serial number) reveals the date of manufacture based upon the various charts but it does not. The charts do not take into account that parts engraved with these numbers sit around in parts bins for days, weeks, months, even years before being assembled into watches.

I disagree. The charts give you a rough idea but can be very rough. When you manufacture a product such as a watch, you keep on hand enough parts to support the manufacture for a certain number of days/weeks/months, etc. We would agree that my 777.757.xxx speedy(purchased in 2011) wasn't made in 1957 or 1960 or 1970 or 1980 or 1990 or 2000, but was probably made in the late 2000's. We can also examine the NASA watches that were bought in groups at the same time. There are, 145.012s that are 20.552.xxx and listed as being delivered 3/19/64. This group is a bit confusing to me as the 145.012 began in 1966. All of the 6/26/64 105.003's were 20.525.xxx. The 4/23/65 ones were all 22.082.xxx. The 8/12/66 105.012's were 24.002.xxx and 24.003.xxx. All of the 11/7/67 105.012s were 24.957.xxx. With these, the later they were delivered, the higher the serial numbers with the exception of the 145.012s that have serial numbers 3000 higher than the ones delivered 3 months later. In all of the groups the serial numbers of the watches are within 1000 of each other. I would conclude that the serial numbers do give you a rough estimate of when it was manufactured +/- a year or so.

The model number of the watch though does tell you something about the watch. Omega Case Reference Numbers - A Quick Reference Guide...

[g-boac]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for a very insightful reply. I do have one question from the link you supplied. Discussing the model number, the leading "1" is said to imply a leather strap, men's. Yet many more of our 105.012s and 145.012s were sold with (and still can be found for sale today) with their original 1506 or 1039 stretch-link bracelets. Which would actually imply a leading "3" according to this reference number chart. Do you have any thoughts or further insight into this?

cheers,
Mark

[jordangbj@aol.com]

I disagree. The charts give you a rough idea but can be very rough. When you manufacture a product such as a watch, you keep on hand enough parts to support the manufacture for a certain number of days/weeks/months, etc. We would agree that my 777.757.xxx speedy(purchased in 2011) wasn't made in 1957 or 1960 or 1970 or 1980 or 1990 or 2000, but was probably made in the late 2000's. We can also examine the NASA watches that were bought in groups at the same time. There are, 145.012s that are 20.552.xxx and listed as being delivered 3/19/64. This group is a bit confusing to me as the 145.012 began in 1966. All of the 6/26/64 105.003's were 20.525.xxx. The 4/23/65 ones were all 22.082.xxx. The 8/12/66 105.012's were 24.002.xxx and 24.003.xxx. All of the 11/7/67 105.012s were 24.957.xxx. With these, the later they were delivered, the higher the serial numbers with the exception of the 145.012s that have serial numbers 3000 higher than the ones delivered 3 months later. In all of the groups the serial numbers of the watches are within 1000 of each other. I would conclude that the serial numbers do give you a rough estimate of when it was manufactured +/- a year or so.

The model number of the watch though does tell you something about the watch. Omega Case Reference Numbers - A Quick Reference Guide...

you seem to be rather knowlegable about old speedmasters. could you please tell me when mine was made, serial number is 24951274.

[richardew]

Hi Mark;
It doesn't seem to work for the speedmasters, at least not the early ones. I guess it's like everything else Omega, consistantly inconsistant. It works for my 148.0062 (1994).

[g-boac]

you seem to be rather knowlegable about old speedmasters. could you please tell me when mine was made, serial number is 24951274.

Hi Jordan - here are two serial number charts that you can use:

Omega Serial Numbers By Year...
Roman Hartmann’s Omega Speedmaster Serial Number Chart

Note that the author and website founder, Chuck Maddox himself, cautions that these charts are very inexact guides, and that you should generally give +/- 2 year leeway to what you find on here. The charts are useful for narrowing down the vintage of Omega Watches; and if your serial number falls somewhere within a +/- 2 year window of when other indicators (e.g., caseback interior engraving, bracelet and endlinks, dial font/design) map to, you can feel pretty confident that your watch is likely intact with its original components; as opposed to having been parted together over time.

You can also contact Omega SA directly at this link here, and provide them with your serial number and for a fee of 75 CHF, they will issue you a certificate with the information they have on file for your watch, including its production date and the original point of distribution (generally a city where they had a distribution center such as NY, USA; or if a government or military customer, the branch of service).

OMEGA Watches: Order Form

Hope this helps,

best,
Mark

[jmsrolls]

I disagree. The charts give you a rough idea but can be very rough. When you manufacture a product such as a watch, you keep on hand enough parts to support the manufacture for a certain number of days/weeks/months, etc. We would agree that my 777.757.xxx speedy(purchased in 2011) wasn't made in 1957 or 1960 or 1970 or 1980 or 1990 or 2000, but was probably made in the late 2000's. We can also examine the NASA watches that were bought in groups at the same time. There are, 145.012s that are 20.552.xxx and listed as being delivered 3/19/64. This group is a bit confusing to me as the 145.012 began in 1966. All of the 6/26/64 105.003's were 20.525.xxx. The 4/23/65 ones were all 22.082.xxx. The 8/12/66 105.012's were 24.002.xxx and 24.003.xxx. All of the 11/7/67 105.012s were 24.957.xxx. With these, the later they were delivered, the higher the serial numbers with the exception of the 145.012s that have serial numbers 3000 higher than the ones delivered 3 months later. In all of the groups the serial numbers of the watches are within 1000 of each other. I would conclude that the serial numbers do give you a rough estimate of when it was manufactured +/- a year or so.

The model number of the watch though does tell you something about the watch. Omega Case Reference Numbers - A Quick Reference Guide...

Sounds like you agree, not disagree.

Most think that the charts are exact but having owned almost a hundred Omegas (including at least thirty Speedy Pros) over the years, it has become obvious to me that charts can, as you say, "give you a rough idea (of a watch's age) but can be very rough." That is my point exactly.

How does one determine the age of a Speedmaster Professional? In the case of Speedmaster Professional watches, the movement (not serial) numbers are engraved upon the escape wheel bridges. The engraved bridges are placed in a parts bin awaiting assembly into a movement. Over time, the individual escape wheel bridges are taken from the parts bin in no particular order to be assembled into a movement. The assembled movements are then placed on shelves awaiting installation into a watch case. Again, installation occurs in no particular order. No first in, first out.

When the movement is installed, the movement number is engraved on the case and the watch is placed on a shelf. As needed, Omega ships the finished watches out to the distribution point or in some cases, an AD. Again, in no particular order. Eventually the watches arrive at the retailer and are sold at retail. Retailers would generally move the oldest inventory first regardless of movement number.

So do you date from when the escape wheel was engraved, the date the escape wheel was incorporated into a movement, the date the movement was installed into a watch, the date the watch was shipped out from Bienne, or the date it was first sold at retail?

Omega considers a watch to be "born" when shipped from the factory which information is kept in a log and obtainable by requesting, and paying for, an abstract. Just how the shipment date compares to when the movement number was engraved is anybody's guess.

Great examples of the "parts bin" factor would be what I call "transitional" 3572.50s. I have seen these with movement numbers in the 48###### range which date from the mid-1980s while the 3572.50 was not introduced until the latter half of the 1990s. In this instance, one could have have bought a BNIB 3572.50 in 1997 assembled with a movement number engraved ten+ years earlier.

Fr. John†

[richardew]

Sounds like you agree, not disagree.

Good, because my knowledge of watches pales in comparison to yours.