A. Hasler à Bienne

A rare water level recorder for the water supply of the Wimmis gunpowder factory Dimensions 730 x 430 x 265 mm, circa 1900, Origin Schweiz, Accessories Case: Walnut, glazed. Dial: Enamel and silver. Movm.: Electrical contacts, coils, pendulum and weight drive. A paper table is attached to a rotating drum in which the various water levels at any time of the day during the week were recorded. The Hasler factory made their mark in Electrical Engineering with designs in the fields of telephony, radio engineering, railway signalling principles, aviatik, franking machines and road signaling. In 1865 Gustav Adolf Hasler and Albert Escher purchased the “Eidgenössischen Telegraphenwerkstätte” (Swiss telegraph factory), which was the origin of the Hasler AG in Bern. The first two managers were engineer Matthäus Hipp from Württemberg and clockmaker Jakob Karl Kaiser. Hipp invented several technical updates, so that the company was able to export the improved telegraphs to other countries. In 1860 Hipp established his own company, which was soon in competition with the ETW. Hasler became Hipp’s successor as manager of the ETW and at 30 years of age was the youngest director of a federal company. Gustav Adolf Hasler died in 1890. His son Gustav Hasler took over the management of the company from his father at the age of 22. Wimmis is is a community in the Swiss canton Bern. In 1917 the "Eidgenössische Pulverfabrik" (Swiss Gunpowder Manufactory), today‘s "Nitrochemie" was established there. The company produced nitrocellulose and single-based powder. Their main customer has always been the Swiss army. Case: very good, scratched. Dial: very good. Movm.: very good, capable of running, cleaning needed.