![]() Japanese-made: “J” or “JV” in early 1980s.Mexican-made: “MN” or “MZ” for 1990s and 2000s “MSZ”: Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster before 2010. ![]() “DZ”, “DN” Prefix: American Deluxe Series.“L” Series (mid-60s to 1976): Indicates a specific production era.1976 onwards: Serial numbers began appearing on the headstock.1954-1963: On the back vibrato cover plate.Some common features for identifying Stratocaster serial numbers. Between pickup and saddle (some Telecasters).Vibrato on the back of the cover (on early 50’s Stratocasters).The location of the Fender serial number varies depending on the model and year of manufacture of the instrument. You can also contact us directly or refer to other sources like the official Fender website or other websites and forums. You can check out any Fender guitar model: Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Mustang, Precision Bass, Jazz Bass and others. It supports various formats, including MIA, MIJ, CIJ, MIM, MIK and MII, encompassing a total of 15 groups and over 70 different serial number variations. The General Watch Company, Helvetia's parent company, had other brand names in its stable and you may be able to also look up Orta, Paradox, Post, General, Elsinore, Sackville, Fenchurch Lever, Cunard as well as many other wrist and pocket watches using this tool if their serial numbers fall within the range.This lookup tool has been developed by enthusiasts to provide a fast and convenient method for decoding serial numbers and is in no way affiliated with the Fender brand. ![]() Not all Helvetia watches have a serial number inscribed on them and chronographs and triple date watches often have a different format serial number that, unfortunately, I cannot use to date these watches. Serial numbers are usually inscribed on the inside or outside of the case back often with a case number. The first set of two digits are a bit of a mystery but I think they may relate to the factory the watches were produced in as there are only a couple of variations. General Watch Company, and then after a 1948 name change Helvetia Watch Company, serial numbers continued to just above 6 million in 1973 when, seemingly at around the time Silvana took the Helvetia name, the style of numbering changed to two sets of two digits, for example 49-73, with the second set of two digits denoting the year. In 1911 the, by now named, Omega Watch Company withdrew from the General Watch Company and so when General Watch Company watches reached the 3 million serial number mark in 1917 there was no reason for them not to carry straight on as there was no longer a need to keep the ranges separate. The desire to be able to account separately for all of the watches manufactured by the two companies by keeping their serial number ranges discreet certainly explains why Louis Brandt & Frere numbers suddenly jump forward by 1 million. Though I have no proof it seems likely that the reason this happened was to prevent the re-use of numbers that had already been assigned to General Watch Company watches. ![]() Most of their brand names, other than Omega, were being moved to the General Watch Company and the General Watch Company was marketed as the ‘Successor to Louis Brandt & Frere’ whereas the original company was to change its name to the Omega Watch Company in 1904 after its most popular product.īy the end of 1902 the original Louis Brandt & Frere company was fast approaching the 2 million serial number mark itself, strangely though they then jumped the 2 million range completely going from 1 million numbered watches to the 3 million point. ![]() When deciding on how to number the watches of the new company it seems they decided to start at 2 million in order to keep the serial number ranges of the two companies separate but also to imply a continuation between them. To understand Helvetia serial numbers, we first need to look at the serial numbering of Helvetia’s sister company Louis Brandt & Frere (later to become the Omega Watch Company).īy 1895 when the brothers Louis Paul and César Brandt founded the company that was to become Helvetia the Société d’Horlogerie La Générale or the General Watch Company, the serial numbering system that they had been using for their Louis Brandt & Frere watches (Omega and other brand names) had reached over the 1 million figure. ![]()
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