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Service Marks?

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Pip WRT Addict

Pip

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Just curious about this really: I received a nice old Citizen last year as part of a deal and tonight it finally came out of the ‘to-do’ box and onto my mat for an inspection so that I can plan what may need to be done. It was only under the microscope with the light at an angle that I noticed that around the edge on the outside of the caseback there are numbers faintly scratched in various places. Are these likely to be service marks?

The markings, which have seemingly been made at four different times as the scratches are very different but look to be made by the same hand are:

22925/

14024

14964/

44665/

 

If it helps, I got the watch from Holland if memory serves.

And the answer to the obvious question, all that I can see on the inside of the caseback is dried up old oil (I think someone may have overdone it a bit!).

Thanks in advance.

Phil

 

 

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frenchie Distinguished Member

frenchie

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Job numbers from the watch repair person? Don't look like dates to my untrained eye. The slash could be a symbol for the type of work that was done (slash = full service, for example)

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khunter WRT Addict

khunter

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Old school watch repairers would mark the inside of the case with a number, most say it refered to a job number, like an invoice number. They kept paper records of the jobs done and used this number to match things up. There was no standard, each person used their own system so unless you had the right records of the right repair person, deciphering the numbers is virtually impossible. The best indication the numbers DO give is the number of times the watch was serviced, usually the more the better.

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Pip WRT Addict

Pip

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Yes, job number could be right, but what watch repairer in their right mind would scratch the OUTSIDE of the case?!!


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khunter WRT Addict

khunter

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4 hours ago, Pip said:

Yes, job number could be right, but what watch repairer in their right mind would scratch the OUTSIDE of the case?!!


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I missed the detail of "outside" when I read your post, that's a very good question indeed!

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