Paillard S.A, Yverdon, Switzerland

Paillard was  founded in 1814 as a family firm. It produced small mechanical goods; watches, record players etc. Constructing of a typewriter began in 1913. Hermes typewriter was introduced in 1923. A popular portable typewriter Hermes Baby came on the market in 1935. In the 1940ths the company expanded to cameras and projectors. The majority of the stock of the Swiss calculator company Precisa AG was acquired in 1974. Over 160 000 Hermes standard typewriters were produced from 1923 until 1953. In 1981 Paillard was incorporated in Olivetti.