BRUNSVIGA 10, 1932
Inventor
ODHNER principle
Invention date
Unknown
Manufacturing date:
1932
Manufacturing location
Braunschweig (Germany)
Manufacturer
Brunsviga
Dimensions
L 20 H 9 W 19
Reference Number
338
History and Functionality
In 1891 ODHNER decided to expand production of its machines in Germany. They had to give up a year later because the distance between the mother company in Russia and the plant in Germany was too far. Grimme, Natalis & Co, a manufacturer of sewing machines, under the leadership of its technical director Franz TRINKS (1852-1931) purchased the ODHNER patent in 1892 and traded it to obtain marketing agreements for Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
Production started in Braunschweig and the machine was sold under the name BRUNSVIGA which is the Latin name of Braunschweig.
The first machine sold for a quarter the price of the BURKHARDT Arithmometer. Franz TRINKS improved the machine reliability, optImized production methods and set up a global distribution network. In 1912 20,000 machines were produced and 500,000 were made by the time production ended in 1957, after 65 years.
The medallion at the top left of the machine is a brain made with steel, which is the BRUNSVIGA brand’s logo.
About The Manufacturer
Brunsviga, a significant name in the history of mechanical calculators, was established under the firm Grimme, Natalis & Co. in Braunschweig, Germany. Initially focused on sewing machines, the company transitioned to calculator manufacturing in the late 19th century, marking a pivotal shift in its business direction.
The origins of Brunsviga date back to 1871 when Carl Grimme and Kaufmann A. Natalis, previously independent sewing machine producers, joined forces. Their early focus was on domestic appliances, but by the 1890s, they recognized the growing demand for computational tools and diversified into producing calculating machines, which proved extremely successful.
Engineer Franz Trinks played a crucial role in this transition. In 1892, he secured the German manufacturing rights for the Odhner pinwheel calculators and began producing machines under the Brunsviga brand. The first Brunsviga calculators were based on W.T. Odhner’s 1890 design. Trinks’ contributions were significant; he developed and refined the Brunsviga calculator over almost 30 years, receiving over 40 U.S. patents and an Honorary Doctorate from the Braunschweig university for his work.
In 1921, Grimme, Natalis & Co. transitioned into a corporation (Aktiengesellschaft), and in 1927, the company name was changed to “Brunsviga Maschinenwerke Grimme, Natalis & Co AG”, later simplified to “Brunsviga Maschinenwerke AG”. This period saw the release of innovative models like the “New Brunsviga” in 1925 and the “13-series” in 1927.
The advent of electronic calculators in the mid-20th century posed significant challenges for Brunsviga. In 1957, the company entered into an agreement with Olympia Werke AG of Wilhelmshaven, part of the AEG group, leading to its absorption into Olympia in 1959. Production continued for a time under the Brunsviga Division of Olympia, but eventually ceased in the late 1960s. Throughout its existence, Brunsviga produced about half a million machines over almost eighty years.
