Juliet Serial Number Inquiry

[Hando]

That asks a question I was hoping could be answered...

I have:
Carbon, no Serial Number, No SKU?
.. I think I also have a Plasma or two that are the same.

 

[Carrera1963]

1st gen - serial ends in number
2nd gen - serial ends 'A'
3rd gen - serial ends 'B'
4th gen - unmarked
5th gen - SKU and size

Not all colourways exist in all generations but it's a good rule of thumb.

 

[erap]

Is there a period more or less to indicate when the 4th or 5th gen were made?

 

[kronin323]

1st gen - serial ends in number
2nd gen - serial ends 'A'
3rd gen - serial ends 'B'
4th gen - unmarked
5th gen - SKU and size

Not all colourways exist in all generations but it's a good rule of thumb.

Yes, that is the best rule of thumb, especially with Juliets, especially with plasma Juliets.

But what I'd like to know (and haven't been able to find) is the overall time periods of the eras of serials, no serials, and SKU/size, inclusive of all x-metals.

AFAIK...
Within the era of serials, different frame styles were released in different years, as well as different colorways. For example, a 1st gen R2 was released years after a 1st gen R1 (in that case, I personally don't call them 1st gen, but just serialed). So saying something is 1st gen vs. 2nd gen vs. 3rd gen is not always apples-to-apples across the board. But when Oakley stopped putting on serials, they did if across all x-metals - 4th gen is apples-to-apples across all x-metals. And when Oakley started putting on SKU/size, that too was across the board, apples-to-apples.

And there's another problem with using serials as the definitive marker of generation. At some point early on, Oakley changed their casting process. They originally used sand casting and did a poorer job of cleaning them up after casting. These early models have a much cruder, uneven look when examined in detail, and you can often see a little leftover flashing here and there. But then Oakley changed to a "lost wax" method of casting and upped their finishing game. Though the "lost wax" method introduced a little more discrepancy from one casting batch to another (because the mold is destroyed each time and has to be recreated, while with sand casting they could reuse the same mold again and again), overall the finish quality greatly improved - no more uneveness, no more leftover flashing; beautiful results.

So, to me, a 1st or 2nd gen frame built during the sand casting days is quite a different beast than some other frame or colorway that wasn't released until after the change to lost wax casting, even though that latter frame may have a 1st gen serial. But I don't know when exactly they changed the casting process.

I would like to know the dates like this:
1997 - ???? - serialed sand casting
???? - ???? - serialed lost wax casting
???? - ???? - no serials (4th gen)
???? - 2012 - SKU/size (5th gen)

 

[erap]

Can the experts confirm this?

from 1999 to 2004 with serial number
from 2004 to 2008 no serial number
from 2008 to present with sku serial

 

[barberp]

VERY real. post 2004 model.