Does anyone know what the various elements of an old-style case reference number signify -- if anything? For example, CK 859 AF is a 1930s, steel, time-only dress watch. CK was, of course, famously used again in the 1950s for both chrono and time-only watches. Is CK the case material? Any idea what the CK and AF mean? Thanks!
Not sure why @padders removed his post, but here is a list of the case metal codes: The 7-digit codes do not apply to watches made before the early 1960’s. Before then, it was a 3, 4 or 5-digit number with very little rhyme or reason. gatorcpa
There is this chart: http://www.chronomaddox.com/casereferenceguide.html However, it doesn't include the obvious prefixes like CK, KO, OT. I don't know why.
Yes that is the reason why I binned my post as I realised it was missing CK, OT and plenty of others commonly seen. I was looking for a better list but couldn't find one yet.
Best bet would be to peruse the Omega Vintage Database. Here is another list, but it’s not complete either. http://www.old-omegas.com/ommetcod.html gatorcpa
Gentlemen: Thank you so much! I will poke around and see if I can find a complete list. I’m also curious to see if I can find a list that has LA for aluminum. I have an aluminum-cared watch with the case reference LA 708 AD. I’m also quite curious to learn more about the suffix codes, which seem to be a bit cryptic. Thanks again for your help! Have a nice long weekend! Best, Hurley
As usual with Omega, it looks like a kind of riddle. Based on old catalogs (between 1923 and 1940) : MA = Metal / Nickel plated brass MG = Nickel-Chromium MN = White Metal LA : Aluminum and brass. MI = Stainless Steel (for non staybrite in a 1940 catalog) CA = Matte black steel (gunmetal?) CK = Stainless Steel CO = Stainless Steel with Gold Bezel CL = Stainless Steel with red laquered inserts (women's model in a 1933 catalog) AR = 0.925 Silver AI = 0.900 Silver GA = 0.800 Silver (Galonné = silver plate on which a gold leaf is laminated) GB = 0.800 Silver (Galonné, carrure Galonnée = gold leaf laminated on both back and case) ND = Niello DB = 20 microns Gold Plated DP = 40 microns (laminated?) Gold Plated OJ = 14 ct Gold OK = 14 ct Gold (with metal 'cuvette'). Cuvette is the inside back on cases that have two caseback (sorry don't know the English word for that) OL = 14 ct Gold (with gold 'cuvette') OT = 18 ct Gold OU = 18 ct Gold (with metal 'cuvette') OV = Gold (with gold Cuvette) OW = Gold (with saphir Crystal?) OG = White Gold RT = Gold and White Gold ST = Gold and White Gold PA = Platinum Catalogs didn't always used this designation. For example, in a 1917 and a 1925 French catalog, all models have the prefix 'Cl' whatever the case material. In a 1926 German catalog, all have the prefix Ref (which obviously stands for Reference) and different suffixes (AN or AC). Some catalogs have the Mod. prefix (which obviously stands for model). A 1919 price list also refers to the following prefixes : AJ, XA, KMA, KAI, KCA, KBA and FA. I don't have the corresponding catalog so their significance remains unknown.
This is so incredibly helpful. Thank you so much. I wish I could buy you a beer! Seriously, thanks. Best, Hurley.
Note that the list posted from the Omegamania reference is also out of date and there are even more materials and codes now. These are living documents that get updates on a regular basis, so Work Instruction 61 that covers Material Codification was last updated in 2017. Cheers, Al
Apologies that this does not directly answer OP’s original query. I don’t want to hijack the thread – only to expand a bit on Tire-comedon’s interesting post. I think the 'Cl' prefix refers to ‘cliché’ (and who better to explain that to us?!). I have a copy of part of a 1928 French catalogue, F275. I don’t know where I found it – but I suspect I may have received it from Tire-comedon himself (in which case many thanks and credit as always for his generosity). Looking at the pages I attach, we see four different versions of Omega 59-8D desk clocks (pendulettes) from this period, each with the reference 14.885 (and there are others in the catalogue). The differences lie with the dials (cadran), which here offer Cadran options A3, B, G & H (the last having raised numbers). And each dial version on Ref.14.885 has a different ‘cliché’. To explain this further, there are other clocks in the catalogue which are different (in size, dimension, layout, frame etc) which have different references – but the dials have the same designation. To confirm this, my third image shows clocks with reference 14.610 (clearly different frames) and dials A3 and B – the dials correspond to those in Ref.14.885 but here we see the different clichés. The dials with the same designation in Ref.14.610 as in Ref.14.885 are of a different size but still the same style (and therefore remain A3, B etc). So my understanding of ‘cliché’ here is ‘version’. It ties up the particular dial (from the range available at the time) with the clock reference.
I am probably wrong but could be something about the cased movement? I see some with "avant-fast" & "return-slow" which the archive shows a CK (acier) 859 (reference) AF and others with only "avant" & "return" which the archive shows CK (acier) 859 (reference).
Yes sorry of course my mistake. To be honest I do not believe that AF can be after the watch reference for the reason I have mentioned, but after many researches I could not find anything better than this option...