How to recognize a Rollei 35 S Made in Germany?

[neko]

I have bought recently in Ebay a Rollei 35S from a german seller. When
received, I could see that the back of the camera have engraved "Made in
Germany by Rollei", like the earlier Rollei 35 (Tessar) model. The back also
have the locking and winding mechanism similar to the very early german
models (see http://www.geocities.com/jagpage/rollei35gmbh.html ).
I have read that exist very few units of Rollei 35S made in Germany, but
also that is possible to interchange the back of different models to create
a fake "35S Made in Germany". The question is: Assuming that any 35S has
body serial number, how I can know if this unit is really "made in Germany"
or if, on the contrary, somebody changed the back by the one of one 35
Tessar? Perhaps by the serial number of the lens (2293292)?
The body of the camera shows the following particularitities: back pressure
plate, take up spool and parallex correction marking are similar to the last
units of Rollei35 Germany; adjustement dials are black; the lens show
"Rollei-HFT Made by Rollei Sonnar 2,8/40", like the rest of 35S serie.
Finally, the soft carrying case is made of real leather, like the German
model, and have engraved beside the strap hole "Germany".
With all these data, somebody can help me?

[Godfrey DiGiorgi]

I went to Klaus Prochnow's Rollei Report and Rollei 35 Family books to try
to find an answer for you, but the answers are inconclusive. Any Rollei
35S models made in Germany were most certainly prototype production run by
his records, all true production series 35S models were made in Singapore,
starting in Fall of 1973 or early 1974.

The back could certainly have been changed for one from a German issue
Rollei 35. I know that my 35S came fitted with a leather case, most likely
from an earlier production German model.

Dating them via the lens serial number is difficult, one would hope the
lens serial numbers had some sequential validity but it's not certain. My
Rollei 35s with Sonnar lenses stack up this way

Rollei 35 S (black)(1974-5?) 2477817
Rollei 35 S Silver (1979) 2595445

I think my black one is from '74-5 because when I got it there was a
sticker inside the case that had a date of late 1975. So if anything,
yours is earlier than either of mine by the lens number.

Curiously, the Rollei 35 Classic series does not have a lens serial
number, only a body serial number instead, where both S models have no
body serial number.

If you're is really a German issue Rollei 35S, it's a one of the initial
prototype production run. Makes no difference to its functionality or
quality, really, but it might be considered something of a rarity.

fun stuff.

Godfrey