Voigtlander Bessamatic Serial #'s

[hilltime]

Would anyone have information on the Serial # range of Voigtlander Bessamatics? I know there are potentially 6 distinct models in the manufacturing time frame of 1958-1967.

Early Model Bessamatic with strange film reminder dial:

Most common Bessamatic with simplified film reminder dial:

Bessamatic Deluxe with aperture viewing in viewfinder

Bessamatic Deluxe with just X synch, no M synch

Bessamatic M with not meter

Bessamatic CS with CDS meter

Regards, Gary Hill

 

[jajong]

Hi Gary, my common B. has 67xx as serial number; my B. delux 2361xx (both still working well). No idea when they were made.
Cheers,
Jan

 

[jajong]

Hi again Gary. In the back of my mind I knew I had some more information.
The common B. total production was around 137500 cameras. This site http://www.der-klinterklater.de/bessamatic.html mentions some improvements made in October 1960 around serialnumber 77000. Hope this helps a bit.
Cheers,
Jan

 

[hilltime]

Thank you for your post and I have already discovered that site. He lists potential quantities for each model, but no serial # ranges. I have recently acquired an early Bessamatic, ser.# 5XXX, and was wondering how early in the production this one was. He seems to indicate these first Bessamatics maybe were about 2500 in production before the model was changed ever so slightly, and he calls them UR Bessamatics.

Any other info would be appreciated from anyone.

Regards, Gary Hill

 

[jajong]

The serialnumber of the lens may give a clue, assuming it is the lens that came with the body, The lens serialnumbers are a known entity.
Cheers,
Jan

 

[hilltime]

The standard Color-Skopar begins with Serial # 48xxxxx and is a seven digit #. Again, I do not know the range of Voigtlander lens serial #'s? Are they consecutively #'d for all their camera models?

Regards, Gary Hill

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I seem to recall the Color Skopar X was supplied first. The Color Skopar came afterwards, and featured a minimum focus distance roughly a foot less than the X. I have examples of both lenses and the later type definitely focuses closer and the distance scale is marked accordingly.

 

[hilltime]

I believe you are correct. Actually the lens I have on the early Voigtlander Bessamatic, Serial # 5XXX is a Color Skopar-X and begins with the 48XXXXX serial #. On further research it appears Voigtlander lenses are consecutively #'d. Actually, a lens starting with 48XXXXX should have been manufactured in 1959 which corresponds to my question of when the body would have been manufactured, late 1958-early 1959, probably? Still have not been able to ascertain what the first Bessamatic cameras started with in Serial # sequence.

Thanks,