Thread: Stihl HS74- how to establish age?

I'm considering purchasing a Stihl HS74 hedge trimmer and am wanting to know the year of manufacture. There are coded indications inside the castings of the gearcase cover and plastic body shroud which say it was in the 3rd out of four of 'S' which I imagine indicates year and quarter- any ideas? There is also a clock in the casting of the bottom of the handle- but instead of the 2 digit year it apears to have a 1 in the centre and the arrow at 2. Can anyone tell me how to establish this off the machine, or the years for which this model were produced? Answer- haven't been available new for approx 10 years.Emailed Stihl importer who queried serial number with Germany and got answer- 12.5 yrs.