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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Serial-number guide

General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) Serial Numbers

Needs research

What a General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) serial number can establish, what it cannot, and how to record a date estimate another researcher could check.

Diagram

maker or gradeserialcase hallmarksimport and assay marks
Schematic: where markings are found. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Method

Reading the number, step by step

  1. 1. Find the movement number

    In this class of watch the case, dial signature and movement may legitimately have come from three unrelated companies as a matter of normal period trade practice — this is not automatically evidence of a 'marriage' or fraud, though it does mean movement and case numbers, where present, are unrelated by design.

  2. 2. Understand what it encodes

    Ébauche maker's punch marks, calibre numbers stamped on the bridge, and any retailer or case-signature are frequently three separate pieces of information from three different companies; a serial number, where present, may belong to any one of these parties and must not be assumed to belong to the name on the dial.

  3. 3. Judge how precise the date can be

    Needs-research on a case-by-case basis: identify the ébauche maker from bridge shape and punch marks (reference works such as the Bestfit or Flume calibre identification guides are the standard research tools), then research that specific supplier separately from the dial signature.

  4. 4. Check the records behind the tables

    Many Swiss movements from independent ébauche makers (e.g. those later grouped into ASUAG/SSIH and eventually the Swatch Group, or independents supplying multiple brands) do not have a simple single-brand serial table at all, because the movement blank (ébauche) was often supplied to several finishing houses and retailers under different names.

Quick facts

Manufacturer
General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased)
Dating confidence
Estimate only — see notes
Editorial status
Needs research

Sources & references

  1. Flume, H., and other calibre-identification reference works used by the watch trade (used for method description only, not to assert a specific attribution)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.

Limits

What the number does not prove

Questions

Frequently asked

Where is the serial number on a General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) watch?
In this class of watch the case, dial signature and movement may legitimately have come from three unrelated companies as a matter of normal period trade practice — this is not automatically evidence of a 'marriage' or fraud, though it does mean movement and case numbers, where present, are unrelated by design.
What do General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) serial numbers mean?
Ébauche maker's punch marks, calibre numbers stamped on the bridge, and any retailer or case-signature are frequently three separate pieces of information from three different companies; a serial number, where present, may belong to any one of these parties and must not be assumed to belong to the name on the dial.
How accurate is dating a General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) watch by serial number?
Needs-research on a case-by-case basis: identify the ébauche maker from bridge shape and punch marks (reference works such as the Bestfit or Flume calibre identification guides are the standard research tools), then research that specific supplier separately from the dial signature.
Where are General Swiss Trade (établissage movements, unsigned or third-party-cased) production records held?
Many Swiss movements from independent ébauche makers (e.g. those later grouped into ASUAG/SSIH and eventually the Swatch Group, or independents supplying multiple brands) do not have a simple single-brand serial table at all, because the movement blank (ébauche) was often supplied to several finishing houses and retailers under different names.

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