Following on from a recent CT post offering up a 'prototype' 844 (http://chronocentric.com/forums/chronotrader/index.cgi?page=1;md=read;id=34663), I thought I'd scratch an itch that's been niggling me for a while.

What do we know about the 844?

Do we have any canon, or de facto information? Should we have a guide? They're lumped in as '1000 Series Divers' on the OTD model guide (http://www.onthedash.com/Guide/Master_Reference.php4#Daytona), but I'm not sure they really ever were part of the 1000 (980.xxx) series.

The sale values of these pieces are getting pretty respectable these days - but there's a hell of a lot of variation, misconception and confusion in this model's lineage. I know Stewart M has written a few excellent pieces about the 844's that've passed through his hands, what stories and information do other folk have?

I'd really like to collate as much data as possible on the 844 together, with the aim of making a model guide.

Personally, I also have a 'prototype' auto 844. It features the same relatively-poorly printed dial (fuzzy Heuer shield, with Metres and the misspelt 'professionel') as the one Blackie offers for sale, but with a (uncommon?) big 'lollipop' second hand and cathedral-style hour hand. The caseback is stamped 844 with a 4-digit serial number. Did these 'prototypes' come before or after the 'original' red-numbered 844, or after? Are they even prototypes at all? Why did the misspellings even get to production versions?

There were Quartz 844s too, as well as Poor Man's versions which Monnin apparently made using the same materials.

Some were made in France by Monnin, some in Switzerland. Some late ones even show up with TAG Heuer logos on the dial, post-merger - way deep into the 980 and 1000 series timeline.

There's just so much interesting stuff in the 844 lineage! Let's unearth it all!