Wcuriosity Posted March 25 Share #1  Posted March 25 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi everyone, I have recently bought a Leica and sent it to CLA. The mechanic sent me a video of the inside and I noticed an engraving that I don't recall being the standard in M3s. To me, it either looks like a `W' or a stylized '12' (at least, this would explain the hook on the left side). Does anybody know the meaning of that ? Thanks a lot in advance! Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/420047-engraving-inside-leica-m3/?do=findComment&comment=5776992'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 25 Posted March 25 Hi Wcuriosity, Take a look here Engraving inside Leica M3. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Sandokan Posted March 26 Share #2  Posted March 26 I would expect an engraving to be exactly that. A machined set of letters, but this looks like it was scratched on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted March 26 Share #3 Â Posted March 26 Hipotesis :Â "Personal ID" of some worker, who maybe realized, at assembly or test task, that a component was slightly out of specs : corrected it and kept track of the job. Such scratchings are not so rare, expecially on Barnacks, as far as I remember, Some of the real experts in the Forum can surely give more detailed explanations. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted March 26 Share #4  Posted March 26 27 minutes ago, luigi bertolotti said: Hipotesis : "Personal ID" of some worker, who maybe realized, at assembly or test task, that a component was slightly out of specs : corrected it and kept track of the job. Such scratchings are not so rare, expecially on Barnacks, as far as I remember, Some of the real experts in the Forum can surely give more detailed explanations. I have scratchings like this on a number of items in my collection. I always assume they were done in the factory at manufacture stage or by repair persons later on. William 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wcuriosity Posted March 26 Author Share #5  Posted March 26 (edited) 4 hours ago, luigi bertolotti said: Hipotesis : "Personal ID" of some worker, who maybe realized, at assembly or test task, that a component was slightly out of specs : corrected it and kept track of the job. Such scratchings are not so rare, expecially on Barnacks, as far as I remember, Some of the real experts in the Forum can surely give more detailed explanations. This is a very plausible hypothesis. To provide some more context: according to the technician currently servicing my Leica, the camera has never been opened since its production in 1966. He bases this on the fact that the L-seal remains intact. While one could speculate that a skilled technician might have opened it and carefully resealed it, I’m not sure if that’s even possible. In any case, the most likely explanation right now is that the mark was left by a factory worker. On that note, has anyone here ever contacted Leica and received a meaningful response? I wonder if they keep records of "signatures" that could be traced back to their workers. Then again, I may be overestimating their level of meticulousness. Edited March 26 by Wcuriosity Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wcuriosity Posted March 26 Author Share #6  Posted March 26 10 hours ago, Sandokan said: I would expect an engraving to be exactly that. A machined set of letters, but this looks like it was scratched on. Of course, forgive my sloppiness. I fully agree with you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wcuriosity Posted March 26 Author Share #7  Posted March 26 Advertisement (gone after registration) 4 hours ago, willeica said: I have scratchings like this on a number of items in my collection. I always assume they were done in the factory at manufacture stage or by repair persons later on. William Have you ever contacted Leica or an expert who could give you a qualified assessment? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerzy Posted March 26 Share #8  Posted March 26 (edited) vor 5 Stunden schrieb willeica: I always assume they were done in the factory at manufacture stage or by repair persons later on this is the best guess nowadays. Various numbers/characters are scratched , here some examples, meaning will remain unclear. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Interesting is however what I found on many wartime IIIc, pencil written. Found on cameras purchased from various countries, I assume this was written in manufacturing by the person who either assembled the shutter or checked/adjusted speeds Edited March 26 by jerzy 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Interesting is however what I found on many wartime IIIc, pencil written. Found on cameras purchased from various countries, I assume this was written in manufacturing by the person who either assembled the shutter or checked/adjusted speeds ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/420047-engraving-inside-leica-m3/?do=findComment&comment=5777269'>More sharing options...
Woodallp Posted March 27 Share #9  Posted March 27 On 3/26/2025 at 2:48 PM, jerzy said: this is the best guess nowadays. Various numbers/characters are scratched , here some examples, meaning will remain unclear. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Interesting is however what I found on many wartime IIIc, pencil written. Found on cameras purchased from various countries, I assume this was written in manufacturing by the person who either assembled the shutter or checked/adjusted speeds In those last three pictures I’m sure you agree that the first two are probably by the same person and the third was by someone else so it is likely to be systematic and not personal. I doubt it’s a measurement as it is unlikely you would end up with 51 three times if it was something that could vary (unless you have lots of 50 and 52 too 🙂 ).  I suspect it’s a status code with a meaning or maybe some way of identifying a machine used (shutter tester 51?). Just thinking aloud. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 27 Share #10  Posted March 27 Alternatively it could be a version of ‘Kilroy was here’, just to mark a technicians efforts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodallp Posted March 27 Share #11  Posted March 27 1 hour ago, 250swb said: Alternatively it could be a version of ‘Kilroy was here’, just to mark a technicians efforts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here I’m sure it’s possible but why would two different technicians put the same number; the handwriting is clearly different. I have two WWII IIIcs in my repair pile and I’m tempted to disrobe them to check if I have similar; but I have a load of pre war stuff to get working first. TBC maybe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 27 Share #12  Posted March 27 18 minutes ago, Woodallp said: I’m sure it’s possible but why would two different technicians put the same number; the handwriting is clearly different. I have two WWII IIIcs in my repair pile and I’m tempted to disrobe them to check if I have similar; but I have a load of pre war stuff to get working first. TBC maybe. It may simply be a 'sign off' mark that something has been checked before it is passed down to the next stage in the production line. After all this is before the days of bar codes etc. that regulate the build process. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerzy Posted March 28 Share #13  Posted March 28 vor 10 Stunden schrieb Woodallp: have two WWII IIIcs in my repair pile two is rather small representative sample. I have a sample of more than 20, out of them 6 have "51" . The other have nothing or some not identified characters. "51" was written on cameras produced in 1941/42 however there are cameras from the same period of time with nothing written. With the amount of cameras produced there must have been more than one person doing thse same activities (assembling, testing, etc). Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/420047-engraving-inside-leica-m3/?do=findComment&comment=5778073'>More sharing options...
jed Posted March 31 Share #14  Posted March 31 Hello, 364xxx : 50 IV 371xxx : II (pictured here)  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/420047-engraving-inside-leica-m3/?do=findComment&comment=5779770'>More sharing options...
nitroplait Posted April 1 Share #15  Posted April 1 23 hours ago, jed said: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Wow. What happened here? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jed Posted April 1 Share #16  Posted April 1 13 minutes ago, nitroplait said: Wow. What happened here? Hello, this is the infamous red curtain - the black stuff melts. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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