Swiss Automatics
The Swiss Watch industry made great strides towards volume manufacturing
of watches during the mid 1800's. Most watchmakers equipment built
during that period was based on designs by Abraham Louis Brequet (1747-1823),
a Swiss citizen producing watches in Paris for the European Royal
Courts. The first watchmakers Lathe he built in 1796 included several
dividing discs for duplication of hole locations and decorative patterns.
Documents dated 1860/1870 mention the first Swiss Automatic screw
machines, the same period during which Brown & Sharpe (1865) and
Spencer (1873) patented their automatics in America!
The first machines built in Switzerland were designed for or by a
few large watch part manufacturers strictly for their own use, they
did not register any patents in order to keep their manufacturing
methods a secret. Sphinx was using a design by Mr. Schweizer who was
one of the founders of this firm. Laubscher Brothers used a similar
design produced by one of its employees, Mr. Tschopp. It took only
a few years for independent builders to design and produce their own
versions.
In 1888 the Nicholas Junker Firm started to build Automatics in Moutier.
Junker was taken over by Mr. Mancia and Mr. Megel around
1918. We are told that Mr. Mancia was of Italian origin, the Italian
translation for Lathe is Torni hence the new firm was named Tornos.
It should be noted that Tornos is also the Spanish translation of
Lathe. The automatic shown was built in 1896 by the Firm of S. Lambert
which was created in 1894 by the merger of Muller AG and Lambert of
Grenchen. This Lathe seems to be a evolutionary design of the Schweizer
system. Lambert built Automatics for about 30 years. They still produce
gear machinery at their modern plant in Safnern Switzerland. In 1902
Joseph Petermann started to build his own brand of Swiss Automatics.
In 1904 he was joined by Mr. Andre Bechler, who then started his own
business in 1914. This writer was working at the Bechler factory in
1960 and still vividly remembers Andre Bechler walking thru the factory
checking on everyone and everything
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 AR-10E,
S/N 52-2545, (1967), Standard Headstock, Front Ball Bearings,
3 Spindle Universal Attachment 52-015-1899, Electric Camshaft
Accelerator, Original Bechler Blue Paint $14500
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 Tornos
M7, S/N 25876, (1950), Needle Front Headstock Bearing,
3 Spindle Drilling Attachment, Automatic Barloader, LNS Gattling
Gun Type, 32 Tubes, 5/32 Diameter Bar Capacity, 12 Ft. Bars
$16,500
Tornos RR20 , S/N 27988, (1966), Needle Front Headstock Bearing,
3 Spindle Drilling & Threading Attachment, Model 13 CA,
Single Point Thrd. Chasing Attach., Mdl 20 CD Pickup Attach.,
Mdl. 14-BA, Back Drlg. Attachment, Model 12-BC, Model X-CC,
Camshaft, Shut-Off, Good Condition $24,000 |
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Strohm M125, S/N NAR 7459, (1965), Ball Front Headstock Bearing,
Endworking Attachments Optional, Camshaft Accelerator, Just
Removed From Service, Good Running Condition $12,000
Strohm M125, S/N NAR 7751, (1966), Ball Front Headstock Bearing,
Endworking Attachments Optional, Camshaft Accelerator, Just
Revoved From Service, Good Running Condition $12,000
Strohm M205, S/N M205N113, (1956), Ball Front Headstock Bearing,
3 Spondel Drilling & Threadng Attachment, Camshaft Accelerator
$5,000 |
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, Sleeve Front Headstock Bearing,
Parts Machine $300 Petermann
PO, S/N 16280, Sleeve Front Headstock Bearing,
Single Spindle Threading Attachment, Picup & Slotting
Attachment $2000 Petermann
PO, S/N 16269, Sleeve Front Head stock Bearing,
4 Tool Machine, Not Attachments $500 |
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Escomatic