E. Paillard & Cie, Ste-Croix (Suisse)

PAILLARD HISTORY

The French speaking Saint Croix area of Switzerland is known as the world capital of mechanical music. The area manufactured a huge array of high precision watches, clocks, musical boxes, phonographs, gramophones, typewriters, cameras and many more. The many companies here also manufactured many mechanical parts and accessories for these, successfully exporting them throughout Europe. The two main companies here were Paillard and Thorens.

1814: Several small watch makers in Saint Croix organised themselves as “Maison Paillard” to help exports of their products. The craftsmen worked in small studios and were organised by Moïse Paillard and became E. Paillard & Co.
1860: Apart from watches, clocks and related components, they very successfully started making mechanical music boxes.
1875: Paillard built their first factory.
1898- 1905: Under the leadership of its president Ernest Paillard the company made a whole range of cylinder phonographs.
1905: They switched to the manufacture of disc gramophones and branded them Maestrophone. They manufactured all the parts including spring motors.
1913: Paillard developed a large range of spring motors and a very successful electric A.C. gramophone motor. They also started manufacturing typewriters under the name “Hermes”.
1919: Under the direction of Albert Paillard and his uncle Eugène Thorens, Paillard became a limited company, Paillard & Cie. They had grown to having more than nine buildings in Saint Croix and Yverdon.
1927: Paillard built electric amplifiers for gramophones.
1930: Began the manufacture of film cameras and projectors under the “Bolex” trademark.
1932: Began production of radio equipment. Paillard, evolved into one of the most successful Swiss manufacturer of cameras, radios and radiograms.
1963: Paillard acquired the Thorens gramophone business.
1966: With the advent of transistors and increasing foreign competition, Paillard went into recession and Thorens again became a separate company.
1970’s: EUMIG took over the Bolex range.
1981: Paillard was taken over by Olivetti, which in turn became part of Telecom Italia.
Bolex still exists in Yverdon making and repairing film cameras.

Paillard is known for its beautiful Maestrophone range of gramophones from its iconic Maestrophone Stirling engine hot air model to tiny-portable models.

Paillard produced so many different models of gramophones. Their catalogues are jam packed with an array of gramophone parts and a mind boggles variety of motors. These are just motors branded as Paillard, of course they also made parts and motors for a whole load of European companies. “Swiss Made” pretty much would mean made at Paillard, Thorens or Phrynis.

Dating Paillard motors is guess work and based on dated Paillard and Maestrophone catalogues. Often the catalogues are not dated.

Information here has been dissected from catalogues at this superb Swiss site. GRAPHONOGRAM

PAILLARD MOTORS

Paillard was the largest manufacturer of spring motors in Europe. They produced quality, (the Paillard GGR double spring motor is often found on E.M.G and EXPERT Gramophones) and budget models. Up until the 1920’s, most gramophone manufacturers throughout Europe used Paillard motors. They were joined later by their “sister” company Thorens and Phrynis, both from Saint Croix in Switzerland. A large number of Paillard motors used in the UK were simply marked “Swiss Made”. The local UK manufacturers of motors, Garrard and Collaro started up in 1919 & 1920. More expensive, these UK motors were often superior in quality to their Swiss counterparts. Swiss motors were still very much in demand for cheaper and portable gramophones.

CATALOGUE 1 – MAESTROPHONE (Around 1910)

Models: M; A; B; S; D; DD; DB; E; G; OG; GG and H

CATALOGUE 2 – MAESTROPHONE (Around 1910)

Models: A; G; GG; H; L; M; S; TB; PB; TD and Stirling Hot-Air Engine

EXTERNAL LINK

CATALOGUE 3 – MAESTROPHONE & PAILLARD (Around 1920)

Models: AX; Z; Y&YB; 15D&15DD; 15P; 15R; RX & RRX; TRX; 20X; 55&155; 65&165; SAR; TAR; SOR; TOR; B; BB; B2; BB2; CF; PFR; PRR; GR; 30B; 30R; GGR; GGB; 8R; HR; LR; 8625 Universal motor; EM Universal/spring; Model A Induction. 120 Induction; 98