Walther WSR 16

Walther WSR 16

Walther WSR 16 is a pinwheel-type, handcrank-operated mechanical calculator, built by Walther Büromachinen GmbH in Walther Niederstotzingen factory. The model WSR 16 was manufactured from 1950 to 1954.

This machine ended up to my collection from Finland in 2021.

Registers: 10 x 8 x 16
Weight 4,3kg
Dimensions: 13 x 25 x 13 cm

Serial №: 111999

Manufacturer:
	Walther Büromaschinen G.m.b.H. Niederstotzingen, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany

Did you know ...?
Guns and calculators
In 1886, Carl Walther founded a gunsmith's shop in Zella-Mehlis in Thürningen, Germany. At first it was a small family-run company, initially with just a few employees. Walther built firearms for sports and hunting purposes. During the First World War, the company grew to a 500-employee firearms manufacturer, thanks to orders from the German army.

After the war, weapons production in Germany was banned. High skills in mechanics allowed Walther to diversify into a whole new area. The company began to manufacture pinwheel calculators, which required precision and reliability just as much as the firearms manufacturing. The first calculator was built in 1924; 15 years later, Walther had already produced 16 different calculator models.

After the Walther factory in Zella-Mehlis was destroyed in the II World War, the company was rebuilt in West Germany. In 1945, the Heidenheim factory was launched (precision mechanics); in 1947, the Gerstetten factory was launched (precision instrument construction); and in 1948, the Niederstotzingen factory started to manufacture pinwheel calculators.

In 1953, Gerstetten and Niederstotzingen plants were combined, and the Walther Büromaschinen GmbH was formed. The company was split into a weapons division and an office technology division.

As it was no longer possible to compete with cheaper products from abroad, Walther Büromaschinen GmbH went bankrupt in 1974.
_{Source: www.rechenkasten.de}