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For all of my pictures on the LeCoultre and Reutter Atmos' please Web off to my
Atmos Clock Museum
Atmos & Herschede Dating Information.
I have a small text file on the history of the Atmos and it can be found at:
Atmos History.
Copyright 1996-2008 Michael P. Murray & Mike's Clock Clinic
LeCoultre Atmos Dating by Decades
| Decade |
Range of Serial #’s |
| 2000’s |
705,000 and up (Educated guess) |
| 1990’s |
650,000 to 704,999 |
| 1980’s |
520,000 to 649,999 |
| 1970’s |
300,000 to 519,999 |
| 1960’s |
127,000 to 299,999 |
| 1950’s |
25,000 to 126,999 |
| 1940’s |
6,500 to 24,999 |
| 1939 |
4,000 to 6,499 |
LeCoultre went into full production around May of 1939.
The above dates and serial numbers will give you a reliable
way to date any Atmos. Please realize that this is not an
exact list because LeCoultre did keep some serial numbers
for certain calibers and they tend to jump, so there is
some overlap but the above is about 98% correct.
The guess on the 2000’s and up is because all the dates
are based on my overhauls of the Atmos and I simply have
not seen any made after 1999.
Kenneth Finn has blotted numerous Atmos' for sale on eBay
and used the plaque years to come up with a quick and easy formula
in order to date the Atmos within a few years or less.
YEAR OF MANUFACTURE = 1954 + (0.051 x Serial number in Thousands)
So if the serial # is 200,268, then multiply 200 by .051 and
that equals 10.2 years. Add the 10 to 1954 and you get 1964 and
that result is within a year of the date of manufacture.
Obviously, this will not work for clocks made before 1955
but it offers a quick and convenient way with some
surprising accuracy.
Now for the dating information I offer.
The Atmos dating information is copyrighted and may NOT be
distributed by anyone but myself (Michael P. Murray). Please do not
give out this information because this is for your personal use ONLY.
I have prepared the file with three formats. Excel 2000 which yields a
atmos.xls worksheet, Adobe Acrobat which yields an atmos.pdf file and a text file.
Please specify which format you prefer.
What this file contains is the serial #'s of over five hundred
Atmos clocks that I have repaired that still have had the original bellow intact.
The significance of this is that LeCoultre hand scribed,
on the outside of each bellow, the date it was manufactured and
this yields an approximate date for the manufacturing of the
clock. My best guess is that the bellows would be installed
within 6 months and usually less from the date the clock was
manufactured. This means that we have an accurate way to date
all the production Atmos clocks.
The serial numbers are located on top of the movement
next to the fast-slow adjustment. On some early caliber 519's
and the Atmos II’s the serial number is located on the bottom
of the movement and you can see it through the front of the case.
The caliber's from the 522 to the Atmos' made today are
stamped, with the particular caliber #, on the bottom of the case.
The Atmos II and caliber 519 were not stamped on the bottom and
are nearly identical. You can tell the difference because the
Atmos II has the speed adjustment as a turn screw rather than a
slide lever, which is found on the caliber 519 and all models since.
Did you know that to date Atmos has had seven (7)
different Caliber #'s (model #'s)?
In order to offset the cost of having several FTP and
Web sites, I am offering this file via E-mail for $10.00.
PLEASE be sure to write your E-mail address on your check or on
an enclosed note.
The $10.00 entitles you to only one E-mail of the Atmos
dating list. I usually update yearly.
If you want to date only one Atmos, then just E-mail
me at Mike@atmos-man.com and I'll be glad to date that one
for free. Please be sure to include your first and last name.
My "stock" answer for valuation is to go to eBay.com.
Click on search. Once in search type in the words Atmos clock and
leave the category box checked as all categories. Check the search
title and description and check completed listings only. Then
proceed down the page until you see the Search icon and click that.
There you will find the last 30 days of closed auctions
and you might find a few that are like yours or at least similar.
In general, a serial # around 50,000 above or below your serial #,
will give you a similar Atmos for valuation purposes.
Please keep in mind, that LeCoultre totally redesigned
the Atmos in mid 1983 and therefore any Atmos with a serial #
under 600,000 is now unique.
I not an appraiser and don't like to give valuation.
Ebay is by far your best research tool and the best place to
sell it for the best price.
For information about my Atmos overhaul, please see this page:
Atmos Overhaul Service
The Atmos dating information is copyrighted and may NOT be
distributed by anyone but myself (Michael P. Murray). Please do not
give out this information because this is for your personal use ONLY.
Herschede Dating Information
For Herschede dating, I have a M/S Word file located at:
ftp://ftp.webcom.com/pub/z4murray/atmos/herschede.doc
Herschede dating can also be obtained in an Adobe Acrobat file located at:
ftp://ftp.webcom.com/pub/z4murray/pdf/hersche.pdf
To order please either E-mail, or snail mail a
request to my E-mail address, or snail mail address
below with cash, check, or money order, via snail mail, made
out to Mike's Clock Clinic in the amount of $10.00.
For a response via the U.S. Mail, please
enclose $15.00 in order to cover the additional handling and
postage.
For a response via international U.S. Mail
outside the U.S. please enclose $25.00 (cash in US funds) in
order to cover the additional handling and postage of
international mail.
Mike's Clock Clinic
17000 S. Western Avenue # 7
Gardena, CA 90247-5262
E-mail address: Mike@atmos-man.com
Web site address: http://www.atmos-man.com/
You may also use Pay Pal by clicking on the link below.
Recap:
$10.00 E-mail response ONLY to anywhere
$15.00 For a copy via snal mail in the U.S.
$25.00 International mail for all non U.S. countries.
The Atmos dating information is copyrighted and may NOT be
distributed by anyone but myself (Michael P. Murray). Please do not
give out this information because this is for your personal use ONLY.
A service from, E-mail address Mike@atmos-man.com
Mike Murray Founder of Clocksmiths
A specialist in Atmos and 400-day clock repair.
Also, I overhaul most plug in electric clocks.
In continuous service since 04/01/1982.
Mike's Clock Clinic Memberships: NAWCC
17000 S. Western Avenue # 7
Gardena, CA 90247-5262
My Web site is located at http://www.atmos-man.com/
Main FTP site is located at http://home.earthlink.net/~atmosman/earthftp.html
Memberships: Clocksmiths; NAWCC
N.A.W.C.C. Chapter # 75 "The San Fernando Valley"
N.A.W.C.C. International 400-day Clock Chapter # 168
Formally Published in Chapter 168's "Torsion Times"
Formally Published in AWCI's "Horological Times"
Formally AWCI's 400-day (Anniversary) clock Bench Course Instructor!
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Copyright © 1995-2008 Michael P. Murray & Mike's Clock Clinic
Created in December of 1995 and last updated January 18, 2008.