(since April 22, 1997)
The CURTA Calculator Page
"The world's first, last, and ONLY, mechanical handheld pocket calculator.*"
Last Update: August 02, 2024 -- THE CURTA REFERENCENEW: Check out the Curta 1A Prototype History
CURTA PAGE INDEX
o The Curta Poster
Owners Registry
o Curta Registry
Curt Herzstark
o Curt Herzstark
o Curt Herzstark Interview
Articles
o Curta Backup Article
o Miniature Machine
o Pocket Calculators
o The Curious History
Curta Simulators
o Olaf Veenstra's New YACS
o Sebastian Dammers' 3D CAD
o Onshape 3D Curta CAD
o 3D Printed Curta
o Curta WiKi
Technical
o Curta Stats
o Curta: Oldest
o Curta Date
o Curta Variations
o Curta Manual
o Curta Dimensions & Timing
o Curta Service Manual
o Curta Lubrication
o Curta Factory Drawings
o Curta Tools
o Curta Disassembly
o Curta Patents
o Jack's Curta Repair (US)
o Hans' Curta Repair (Europe)
o Romano's Curta Repair (Italy)
Collections
o Curta: The Ayen Collection
o Curta: The Pedrosa Collection
Curta Pictures
o Nice Curta Photos
o Curta: Ray Traced
Curta Demos
o Curta Demos
o Fake Demos
o Curta: Cut & Special
o The Curta 1A (new-7/16/22)
o Curta Prototypes
Curta Literature
o Curta Ads
o Curta Articles
o Curta News Letters
o Curta Literature
Curta Other
o Curta Pins
o Curta Museums & School
o Curta: Media
- Books
- Stamp
- Audio
- Video
Curta Links
o Curta Links
THE CURTA CALCULATOR POSTER IN GERMAN
(Click here)
The Curta Calculator poster printed in the German words of the Great Master, Curt Herzstark.
- The poster arrived yesterday and it's terrific! You did a really great job on it and I'd think any Curta collector will want one too. What a great idea you had and thanks again so much for creating it. -- Greg -- Hillsboro, Oregon USA
- The poster was received today in perfect condition. I thank you for your prompt and friendly service. I'll be framing it and hanging it in my den. -- Jim -- Beachwood, Ohio USA
- Thanks! This will hang in my office at NASA. I have a Curta that I inherited from my great Uncle. -- Donald -- Huntsville, Alabama USA
- I received it a couple of days ago... Thank you! It's wonderful! Now I just have to find a frame and it will hang in pride of place in my house. -- Cath -- Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
- Your wonderful Curta poster arrived well yesterday. Thanks and best regards from Germany. -- Hermann -- Bayern, Germany
- I have received the wonderful curta poster and I am inspired. I congratulate you too this excellent poster. -- Bernd -- Langerwehe-Schlich, Germany
- I received the Curta poster and it is beautiful to my eyes. Even the sturdy custom mailing tube is a keeper. I have the poster displayed temporarily in a poster frame with a thin plastic cover until I have a permanent frame made for it. -- Robert -- Alpine, Texas USA
- Hi Rick. Just a quick note to let you know the Curta poster arrived today. I am VERY pleased with it and plan to frame it for my office. Thanks again! -- Sam -- Ridgecrest, California USA
- Rick - the Curta poster is absolutely fabulous, both the production quality and the concept. It's something NO Curta Home should be without. -- Skip Godfrey -- Billings Montana USA
- Hi Rick, thanks a lot, I just received the poster! It is fantastic, really well done. Greetings from Madrid, Spain -- Angela
- Speedy, secure shipment of an excellent product. Great gift! Thanks. A+++ -- Bruce -- Okemos, Michigan USA
- The Curta poster is great. I'm very pleased. Sent quickly, too. Thanks! -- Paul -- Hartland, Michigan USA
- Really beautiful item. Really fast ship. Thanks for a perfect transaction!! -- Kerry -- Sayre, Pennsylvania USA
- Excellent item, fast ship and well packed A+++++ -- Brian -- Lawrence, Kansas USA
- Thanks for the poster that I just bought. It is great. -- Mark -- Santa Clara, CA USA
- Hi Rick, Received the poster today. BEAUTIFUL!!!! I left very positive feedback. Thanks again -- Tom -- Stoughton, Wisconsin USA
- Hi Rick -- Beautiful job on the poster! 'twill be framed soon. -- Larry in Springboro, OH USA
- The Curta poster is wonderful! Thanks so much. -- Pam - Tucson, AZ USA
- Hi Rick, The poster arrived today it's fantastic! Absolutely beautiful! Thanks, Bob - Palo Alto, CA USA
- Rick, Your work is outstanding! The poster is amazing; I've been studying it since it arrived. The detail and quality of the photos is excellent and the amount of data you have included is impressive. I noticed your name in the CURTA article in the January [2004] Scientific American (in the box on page 98 where the author, Cliff Stoll, thanks his elves) and now I know the source of some of the photos in the article since I visited your web site. -- Charlie -- Randallstown, MD USA
- Rick, I got the poster and my engineer colleagues come to my office just to study it! Ray - North Bend, WA USA
Countries Sold To (so far)
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CURTA CALCULATOR PATENT POSTER
(Click here)
The Curta Calculator Patent Poster was created by Aaron from MuseumOfLyrics. This poster displays various detailed patent and engineering drawings of the Curta Calculator. The poster has been created for A1 printing and is highly detailed, however it would look fine as A2. A3 would be fine but the drawings would look small. This is a Digital File only and is for sale on the Etsy web site. https://www.etsy.com/listing/711993137/curta-calculator-patent-poster
The CURTA Collectors and Registry Page is a list of people who collect/own/like CURTAs!
CURTA Stats
Curt Herzstark | |
| POB: | Vienna, Austria |
| DOB: | January 26, 1902 |
| DOD: | October 27, 1988 |
| Parents: | Samuel Jakob Herzstark [b.October 10, 1867 in Vienna d.October 24, 1937] and Marie Herzstark [d.January 1956] |
| Grandfather: | Benjamin Herzstark from Danzig [Poland] |
| Fathers Business: | Austrian Calculating Machines Manufacturing Company, Vienna f.1905 |
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Production was started at April 1, 1947. In 1966 CONTINA AG was bought by the firm HILTI AG in Schaan. Production was stopped on November 1970. CURTAs were sold until early 1973. There are +/- 80000 Curta I and +/- 60000 Curta II machines. Curt Herzstark heard 150,000 to 160,000, maybe even more CURTAs were manufactured. |
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Type I | Type II | |
| POB: | Mauren, Liechtenstein | Mauren, Liechtenstein |
| DOB: | April 1, 1947 | 1954 |
| DOD: | November 1970 | 1954 |
| Sold Till: | 1973 | 1973 |
| Cost: | $125 | $165 |
| Capacity: | 8 x 6 x 11 | 11 x 8 x 15 |
| Parts: | ~600, 139 unique | ~719 |
| Weight: | 8oz - 230g, 244g (measured) | 12 1/2oz - 360g, 372g (measured) |
| Diameter: | 2 1/16" / 2.08" - 53mm | 2 9/16" / 2.56" - 65mm |
| Height: | 3 3/8" / 3.35" - 85mm | 3 5/8" / 3.54" - 90mm |
| Height w/crank: | 4.21"/107mm | 4.38"/111mm |
| Case: | 4.73" x 2.40" - 120mm x 61mm | 5.13" x 2.88" - 130mm x 73mm |
| Total (Curt estimate): | 80,000 | 70,000 |
| Total (factory record): | 80,427 | 61,660 |
| Total (pictorial evidence): | 79,218 | 61,061 |
| Total (estimated): | 79,320 | 69,942 |
| Oldest (pic): | 000968 | 500002 |
| Oldest (registerd): | 2044 | 500084 |
| Newest (pic): | 80186 | 561063 |
| Newest (registered: | 80288 | 569944 |
| S# on top start: | 38210 | N/A |
| S# on top end: | 40469 | N/A |
| Black body end (pic): | N/A | 510348 |
| Black body end (registerd): | N/A | 510395 |
| Gray body Start (pic): | N/A | 510536 |
| Gray body Start (registerd): | N/A | 510633 |
| Metal can end: | 47753 | 532716 |
| Plastic can start: | 49815 | 532511 |
1- 7178 then a few more pin sliders were produced from 9321-9620.
Type I's with Serial Numbers on top row of bottom plate (most Curta's have the serial number on the bottom row of the bottom plate).
37840 (does not have SN on top)
oldest picture: 38600
newest: 40469
41416 (does not have SN on top)
It appears that at least a little over 1800 units (out of 80,000) have the serial number on the top row of the bottom plate.
Production in 1949 about 300 to 400 per month; in 1952 about 1000 per month
In 1949, only 300 CURTAs were made each month.
By 1952, 1,000 CURTAs were made each month. Notes: type II
CUTRA 2s started at serial number 500,000.
The black type II case ended between 510348 and 510536.
The only way 540331 could be black would be if the bottom plate was switched or the calculator was assembled out of spare parts.
This page contain pictures of the oldest type I and type II Curtas. If you own a really old (or really new) Curta then send me your pics and I'll add them to this page if they qualify.
CURTA Production Date by Serial Number contains a discussion and two formulas to calculate approximately when your CURTA was made. Here's a great article from Daniel F F Ford with a more precise method to determine the Curta's age: When was your Curta made?
Curta Manufacturing Evolutions
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Above are three different styles of type 1 Curtas.
Notice the difference between the handle top, the entry knobs,
the labeling/lettering, and the storage cans?
Notice the difference between the handle top, the entry knobs,
the labeling/lettering, and the storage cans?
Model Variations
| serial # | can | crank | body | top decimal | bottom decimal | clearing ring | entry levers |
| type I Curta | 5 | 3 | |||||
| 2185 | metal | metal | black | 5 | 3 | metal | pin |
| 5790 | metal | metal | black | 5 | 3 | metal | pin |
| 7278 (was 9897) | metal | metal | black | 5 | 3 | metal | rectangle |
| 13836 | metal | metal | black | 5 | 3 | metal | rectangle |
| 15045 | metal | metal | black | 5 | 3 | metal | rectangle |
| 52335 | metal | plastic | black | 5 | 2 | metal | rectangle |
| 58562 | metal | plastic | black | 5 | 2 | metal | rectangle |
| 74738 | plastic | plastic | black | 5 | 2 | plastic | rectangle |
| type II Curta | 6 | 3 | |||||
| 504094 | metal | metal | black | 6 | 5 | metal | rectangle |
| 526699 | metal + leather | plastic | grey | 6 | 3 | metal | rectangle |
| 541431 | plastic | plastic | grey | 6 | 3 | metal | rectangle |
| 557788 | plastic | plastic | grey | 6 | 3 | plastic | rectangle |
Curt Herzstark - The Man
Thanks to Prof. Karl Kleine from Jena, Germany, Curta.org and Curta.li for some of these pictures. If you have any other pictures of Curt send them to me. -Rick-This is a wonderful document. A must have for all CURTA enthusiasts! -Rick-
Curt Herzstark, OH 140. Oral history interview by Erwin Tomash, 10 September 1987, Nendeln, Liechtenstein. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Herzstark, an Austrian inventor and manufacturer of calculators, describes the development of the Austrian Calculating Machine Manufacturing Company (Rechenmaschinefabrik der Austria Erstanden Compagnie) and his subsequent work in the industry. The company, founded in Vienna by his father, Samuel Herzstark, in 1905, introduced the first electrically-driven calculator based on improved designs of the Thomas Arithmometer. Herzstark describes the disruption of the industry during World War I, his involvement with the company after the war, competition with American companies, and his first invention, a mechanical memory for holding subtotals, which appeared in 1928. Herzstark managed the company in 1930 and began work on his own design for a hand-held calculator. With the Anschluss of 1938, the company was again converted to war production, and produced custom gauges for German tanks. Herzstark, a Jew, was able to avoid arrest until 1943, when he was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp and worked as a technician. He recounts his arrest and internment, and how he completed the design of the CURTA hand-held calculator, a prototype of which was produced in Weimar, Germany, by Rheinmetallwerke at the end of the war. The Prince of Liechtenstein bought the design and the calculator was initially manufactured by the CURTA division of Contina AG of Liechtenstein. It was produced until 1972, when the electronic calculator forced it from the market. The transcript is available in English and German, and can also be downloaded from the CBI web site.
(Click here)
Curt Herzstark and his Pocket Calculator CURTA.
A really good CURTA article from Product Engineering magazine -- October 1952.
This issue of the Report is based on an exhibit that allows you to journey through the history of the pocket calculator. You will meet the people who have used pocket calculators in the past and discover the problems they solved. At the exhibit you can try your hand at using their calculators. While in this publication, you will leam more of the anecdotes associated with the artifacts. Gwen Bell
(published by Computer Museum History Center, Winter 1987)
The Curious History of the First Pocket Calcualtor by Cliff Stoll. It was called the Curta, and it proved lifesaving when its inventor was trapped in a Nazi concentration camp.
(published by Scientific American, Jan 2004)
Also see Cliff's article from Reader's Digest: "Crunching Numbers - Jul 2005"
1/16/2021 - The newest version runs using WebGL (No 3rd party viewer required)! A complete "Mechanical" Curta simulation. Watch every major part of the Curta turn and interface with it's mating piece. Now you can see the step drum perform it's 10s complement magic, the gears turn, the transmission shafts rotate, the carry levers shift, and the digits count. Spin it, flip it, zoom in, zoom out, explode it. Turn the crank slow, turn the crank fast. Watch it operate in any position or view angle! What would Curt Herzstark have thought! Amazing! This is the new granddaddy of the Curta Simulators and must be tried! -Rick- Visit Olaf Veenstra's web page: YACS - Yet Another Curta Simulator
(Click here)
Sebastian Dammers' 3D Curta CAD Model
Check out Sebastian Dammers' 3D Curta CAD Model at GrabCAD. Follow the arrows to get to the CAD model. There's some discussion of the model at Curta.org.
https://curta.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=478&highlight=
(Click here)
Onshape 3D Curta CAD Model
Here is a really nice model of a type I by mwu. It's 1:1 scale at nominal dimensions. This was use as the base design for the 3D Printed Curta.
(Click here)
The 3D Printed Curta
(Click here)
Curta Wiki
This site includes every part in the Curta type I. The original engineering diagrams included on most of these pages are from the Museum Mura. A .zip file of these drawing can be found on this page: Curta DrawingsThe CURTA Manual is a transcription of the CURTA Manual titled "Your CURTA Calculator" on one side and "The 4 arithmetical rules" on the other. Here's a real nice version of the original 'Your CURTA Calculator' guide from The Curta Mania site: Curta-User-Guide-Your-CURTA-Calculator-210810.pdf Here's another .pdf version by Daniel F F Ford: Your-CURTA-Calculator.pdf
Curta Timing and Dimensions
Original Curta Service Manuals
NEW! Curta Service Manual in English
BIG Thanks to Hansjoerg Nipp!
type I in EnglishNEW! 8/22/21 |
type II in English |
 (Click here) Curta_1_Servivce_Manual_engl.pdf (59 pages - 31M download) |
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type II in English-GreenNEW! 5/12/22 |
type II in German-GreenNEW! 5/12/22 |
 (Click here) Curta_1_Servivce_Manual_engl.pdf (43 pages - 46M download) |
 (Click here) Service_Manual_Curta2_green_german.pdf (43 pages - 46M download) |
type I in German |
type II in German |
 (Click here) curta_1_service_manual_de.pdf (58 pages - 9.4M download) |
 (Click here) curta_2_service_manual_de.pdf (55 pages - 9.3M download) |
These manuals are from the wonderful Museum Mura. Special thanks to Hansjoerg Nipp for all his contributions! Also see the assembly video (in my Video section below).
Original Curta Factory Drawings and BOM
Bill Of Materials |
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Curta type I BOM |
Curta type II BOM |
 (Click here) curta_1_Bill_of_material_de.pdf (14 pages - 3.5M download) |
 (Click here) curta_2_bill_of_material_de (14 pages - 4.3M download) |
Curta Engineering Drawings (Blue Prints) |
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type I Drawings - 1950NEW! 8/22/21 |
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 (Click here) Curta_1_Engineering_Drawings_1950_s_de.zip (257 .jpg files - 115M download) Also available in .pdf format: Curta_1_Engineering_Drawings_1950_s_de.pdf (257 pages - 115M download) |
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type I Drawings - 1960 B/W |
type II Drawings - 1960 B/W |
 (Click here) curta_1_engineering_drawings_de.zip (217 .pdf files - 60M download) |
 (Click here) Curta_2_Engineering_Drawings_de.zip (154 .pdf files - 28M download) |
type I Drawings - 1960 ColorNEW! 8/22/21 |
type II Drawings - 1960 ColorNEW! 8/22/21 |
 Curta_1_Engineering_Drawings_c_de.zip (Click here) (208 .jpg files - 56M download) Also available in .pdf format: Curta_1_Engineering_Drawings_c_de.pdf 208 pages - 56M download) |
 Curta_2_Engineering_Drawings_c_de.zip (Click here) (154 .jpg files - 39M download) Also available in .pdf format: Curta_2_Engineering_Drawings_c_de.pdf 154 pages - 39M download) |
These files are from the wonderful Museum Mura. Special thanks to Hansjoerg Nipp for all his contributions! Also see the assembly video (in my Video section below).
CURTA Cleaning and Lubrication
I get asked all the time about how to clean and lubricate the Curta.Click on the Lubrication image for some helpful email snipets from Nicholas Bodley and Jack Christensen plus some scans from the Curta Service Manuals.
Well I finally did it. Thanks to the support of my friend Carl Volkmar, I fully disassembled a type 1 Curta. The really good news is I put it back together and it still works! This page is BIG so go here only if you have a high speed connection or the time to spare. Each picture can be clicked on for a larger view too. -Rick-
Ever wonder how to work on a Curta? To do it right your need many specialized tools. Here are some of them from the collection of Hans-Rudolf Roshard.
I have discovered a total of 60 CURTA patents! Curt was also assigned at least 19 patents related to various manufacturing processes and devices (sorry, I don't heve these published). And 12 patents by Kurt Herzstark's principal engineer Mr. Elmar Maier. I also have found 37 patents assigned to Curt's father [Samuel Jakob Herzstark] dealing with adaptations, additions and improvements to the Thomas calculator (sorry, I don't heve these published either).
Many thanks to Robert Häni for sending me these great pictures of his rare type 1A. And for writing the history of the 1A development. Enjoy...
Thank you to Hansjoerg Nipp for sending me most of these pictures. Details of these early prototypes can be seen in some of Curt's patents. Also notice the rare type 1A prototype (notice the serial number... 100049).
The Helmut G. Ayen Collection Page is a set of 33 beautiful pictures that I was sent from Helmut Ayen in Hossingen, Germany. He not only owns a pair of type I and type II Curtas but also a pair of type I and type II Demo Curtas! Enjoy the pictures and as always, click on any picture to get a larger version.
The Carlos Alberto Pedrosa Collection Page is a set of 18 beautiful pictures that I was sent from Carlos in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. He own a very old type I (3920) and one of the first type IIs (5000008). Enjoy the pictures and as always, click on any picture to get a larger version.
Here is a great picture created by John Cherry. He was learning to use ray tracing software (POV-Ray 3.02). This is a picture of his Curta Type II (number 546692). The picture uses 16 Million colors. There are equivalent versions of POV-Ray for MS-DOS, Windows 95/98 & x86 NT, Macintosh, PowerPC, Amiga, SunOS, Linux (on Intel platforms) and generic Unix. Great Job John!
Here is a large selection of special Curtas. Many of the pictures are from the collection of Hans-Rudolf Roshard. The Skeleton Curta belongs to Richard Moor. He worked for Victor Comptometer, in Chicago, in the Research Center, as Prototype Model Maker from 1967-1976. There are 3 cut-out "windows" on the clearing plate, 3 long "windows" on the upper knurled ring, 4 long "windows" on the lower knurled ring, 6 "windows" on the bottom plate, and the middle portion of the unit is open. All of the Lettering, Numbers and Arrows have been left INTACT, and the Little "rechnende Mocca-Mühle" is still fully functional. The picture of a chrome Curta is from Stephan Weiss. According to Reinhold Rehbein, the history says that, a short time before the factory in Lichtenstein was closed, Curtas were made from different spare parts. Almost every old Curta factory machinist has made a variant.
The CURTA company produced demo units for their sales force. According to a conversation with a factory trained repair technician, they only produced one demo unit per country that the Curta was sold in. If you own a Demo unit, send me a picture and I'll register it on the Curta Demo page.
(Click here)
The Fake Demo Page
These are Curta's that are known to have been modified (cut) into demo versions.
Curta Pins
photo from Jay K. Jeffries
This page contains pictures of Curtas that are on display in museums around the world. If you find any new museums/pictures send them to me and I'll add them to this page.
CURTA Literature Listing is a list of all know CURTA literature compiled by Rick Furr and Skip Godfrey. Please send us copies of your literature if it is different so we can include it.
The CURTA Articles page is where you will find interesting articles written about the CURTA.
The CURTA E-Mails page is a set of interesting E-mails that were distributed by Erez Kaplan's Calculating Machines List server.
These CURTA Ads were from Scientific American, June 1961 and June 1971 respectively.
Notice: Apr 04, 2017 - I talked with Jack and he's over a year behind in repairing CURTAs.
I don't recommend you send
him your Curtas until further notice. -Rick-
Here are a few questions I asked Jack:
What do you charge to clean a Curta?
Typically $115 to $280, depending on the type of Curta [Type I or Type II] and the
work involved. In those situations where only the upper carriage or the main body needs
work, the fee will be at the lower end of the price range. More often than not, the
entire machine needs a complete disassembly. It is my preference to thoroughly clean
everything, so the charges are usually toward the upper end of the price range. If a
full restoration is needed, the cost may even be higher. If something internal is bent,
out of adjustment, or broken, the entire machine usually needs a complete disassembly.
What do you charge when repairing a Curta?
I charge $65 per hour of my time. It seems my hours are about 90 minutes long,
however, because I rarely finish in the time I originally quoted. Extended
repair time is absorbed by me.
What spare parts do you have? Are they expensive?
I actually have many hundreds of new original Curta parts. Most are for inside the
instrument, though. I use them when I do general cleaning and repairs. Outer body
pieces, replacement cannisters, and external parts that are easily damaged or
broken due to abuse are not generally available, although I do occasionally locate
some these items. Sometimes I have to fabricate a part, or repair an item as best
I can. Obviously, this takes time, and the cost is high.
Parts costs are charged as the traffic will bear. I usually try to be blunt about
this to the Curta owner, often telling them that a severely damaged unit is best
sold as a "parts Curta". Unfortunately, I've sometimes had to tell this to someone
who wanted to repair a Curta looked upon as an heirloom. What to them appears to
be a minor issue actually turns out to be a major problem (e.g., a crank handle
tilted downward is due to a broken main shaft).
Costs for both a cleaning and typical repair is often between $150 and $250. I think
the most I ever charged for a repair was about $500...there were many serious problems
with the machine. Generally, when the price gets to be above $300 many people simply keep
the damaged Curta as a memento.
Can you replace a clearing ring? What costs are involved?
Plastic clearing rings are available. I have several new ones, but I typically do not
sell them separately as a spare part. Rather, I install them during a general cleaning
and repair. I can modify a Curta that originally had a metal clearing ring to allow a
plastic clearing ring to be used. There are special rivets for this purpose, which I have.
Metal rings are more difficult to replace. As with the plastic clearing rings, I will
only install a metal clearing ring during a general cleaning and repair. It takes a
special tool to properly swage the rivet in place. [Editor's note: Very old Type I
clearing rings were held on with a screw and nut. The nut was crimped to the screw threads
below the clearing plate. Don't turn the screw! You'll break the screw and/or strip its threads!]
I have only a very few new metal clearing rings for both the Type I and the Type II. I also
have used metal clearing rings [that were removed from damaged Curtas] for both the Type I
and the Type II. The new Type I metal clearing levers are so rare that I will only install
the ones I have on very old or very special machines. The cost for a new Type I clearing
ring is extremely high. The rivets needed to install a clearing ring are special too, but
I do have a few.
Jack's company, Timewise also manufactures a line of rally
equipment for TSD competition. The units include TSD computers for running
in a Computer Class, units designed for Odo Class competition, and
competition and checkpoint clocks. Jack can be contacted for special-order
equipment or particular modifications desired for Timewise equipment. Jack
also repairs older Zeron equipment. A wide selection of sending units are available.
Jack Christensenchronos(at)comcast.net
Timewise
32 Old barn Road
Hawthorn Woods, Illinois 60047
(847) 550-5052 (evenings)
http://www.timewise.us/curta/curta.html
http://www.curta-repairs.com
 Click here to visit: https://www.curta-schweiz.ch/ Repairs, Revisions, Cleaning, and Accessories |
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Curta Switzerland service center and Watchmaker's workshop & precision engineering workshop
I have been fascinated by watches since my earliest childhood. After studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Furtwangen/Germany, I worked in the watch industry for over 20 years. As a watch engineer, I was able to develop many well-known wristwatch models. My employers included IWC (International Watch. Co.) Glashütte Original, Lange & Söhne, Vulcain and Antoine Martin. In 2015 I became self-employed and realized that there was a great need for the revision of large clocks. In addition to approx. 30 large mechanical clocks (Comtoise, pendulum clocks, grandfather clocks) , I also service pocket watches, wristwatches, music boxes and mechanical devices of all kinds every month take over Switzerland. I am passionate about repairing mechanical movements of all kinds. Over the years I have acquired a machine park in the basement of our house, with which I can produce spare parts myself.
I was able to realize my childhood dreams: today I run a watch workshop in Switzerland, in which we offer revisions and repairs over 1,000
small and large watches as well as Curtas at very fair prices. Our workshop is located at Zurich Airport, only a 10-minute drive from Bülach.
Visitors from all over the world are always welcome! |
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Service Curta Switzerland Matthew Schneider Alte Winterthurerstr. 5 CH-8180 Bülach/Switzerland +41 44 860 00 45 E-Mail info(at)repair-workshop.ch |
CURTA SERVICE IN ITALY
Click here to visit: www.curtaservice.it |
| If your Curta is damaged or if it doesn't work correctly, if it needs revising or just cleaning and you want it back working and in perfect shape, this is the right website for you. We repair, calibrate, tune, revise and clean these mechanical wonders. We have been doing this for years for a limited group of collectors, but now we have decided to start operating on an international level. You can send us your Curta and, completely free of charge, we will let you have our estimate of the costs of our service. As an alternative, we will assess the value of your Curta (whatever its condition) as a firm offer to buy it from you. If you are not willing to accept our proposals, we will send your Curta back to you, without any further cost on your part. As you have certainly noticed from our simple and essential website, we do not intend to impress anybody with special effects: we just work hard and seriously, and we guarantee the results of our work. If you need any further information or if you have any doubt or question to ask, do not hesitate to contact us: info@curtaservice.it Romano Manaresi - Ravenna, Italy, September 2010 |
CURTA Media
Curta, Carena & Co. - Book Information
o In German bookstores.
o At http://www.buchzentrum.li/Webwinkel-Product-212847644/Curta-Carena-&-Co.html for CHF 48.00 plus shipping.
o From the author ( curta(at)dsl.li ) at the reduced price of Euro 34 plus shipping costs.
The author
Hansjörg Nipp, born in 1951, retired engineer. During his active professional life he worked first in research and later as a project manager in a large Liechtenstein industrial company. For many years he has been concerned with the history of the Contina company and its products such as the famous Curta calculating machine. In 2007 he curated a highly acclaimed special exhibition at the MuseumMura about Contina and in 2009/2010 he worked as a technical advisor on the filming of the inventor portrait "Herzstark" by Kuno Bont.Curt Herzstark Book (in German)
Curt Herzstark's memoirs were written down by his partner Christine Holub after many conversations recorded on audio cassettes. Christine Holub was supported by her friends Ute Schröder, Bernd Schröder and Heinz Joss in editing this transcript with a view to publishing it as a book. The title "Kein Geschenk für den Führer - Schicksal eines begnadeten Erfinders" translates to "No Gift for the Leader - Destiny of a gifted inventor"
Curt Herzstark Book (in English)
This Oughtred Society’s translation of the autobiography of Curt Herzstark, the inventor of the CURTA calculator, is a must have for a CURTA collector or enthusiast. This book documents the life of Curt Herzstark, his youth in Vienna, his education and travels with his father (also an inventor of a calculating machine), his internment at the Buchenwald concentration camp, and his post-war difficulties in the production and distribution of the CURTA calculator. Additionally, appendices provided by Tom Wyman and Bob Otnes provide additional information about the use and derivation of the CURTA calculator. Many photographs are included.
English, Perfect Bound, 8½" x 11", 180 pages, 20 ounces,
$36.95 plus shipping.
Order at www.oughtred.org
Pattern Recognition Book
The Curta is featured in the novel Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, where the heroine trades one of the first ever produced Curta for a valuable piece of information from a former spy who is now a collector of mechanical calculators.
CURTA Calculator: The Handbook
A New Concept for Using the CURTA Calculator
by Bernard Stabile ( ber.stabile(at)free.fr )
UPDATE
"I have perfected and completed this principle of presentation of calculation algorithms for Curta. I listed around sixty calculations in all the documentation from the period. Today, the complete pdf document is copyright free and downloadable for free. Bernard"
10 Areas of Algorithms:Front pageo Summary and Hints o Addition - Subtraction o Multiplication o Division o Rule of three o Roots o Serial calculations o Geometry o Statistics o Number Games |
Postage Stamps
"Technical innovations in Liechtenstein"
The stamps were released in 2006 by The Liechtenstein Postal Service
The series' technical innovations from Liechtenstein presents "inventions that were developed in Liechtenstein and conquered the world market. In the first two series, the Curta calculator, the camera Carena, the caliper of the PAV and the Hilti Hammer, Kaiser walking mobile excavators and the heating surface aluFer were presented by the Hoval.
Design For The Real World by Chris Spurgeon - Audio
This is an audio track by Chris Spurgeon about the Curta. It was broadcast by Studio360. The show is called "Design For The Real World".Cool YouTube Videos
Curta Assembly Video
Published on Nov 22, 2013Zusammenbau einer Curta Rechenmaschine Demonstration of CURTA calculator assembly CURTA was manufactured from 1949 to 1971 at Contina AG in Mauren, Liechtenstein CURTA history is displayed in the museum MuseumMura, 9493 Mauren, Liechtenstein Website www.museummura.li |
Tech Icons: Cliff Stoll - The Curta Calculator
The legendary Cliff Stoll tells the story of the invention of the Curta Calculator |
A Visual Guide to Mechanical Computing presents The Curta by Mike Hilton
This is a great instructional video based on Olaf Veenstra's YACS VRML Simulator! |
The CURTA was featured on The History Channel's Pawn Stars on May 2nd, 2011 The PawnStar's CURTA segment. Watch the segment: HERE |
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The Assembly of YACS - Yet Another Curta Simulator by olafzijnbuis |
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YACS - Yet Another Curta Simulator. A Guided Tour by olafzijnbuis |
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The Astounding Curta Mechanical Calculator by rregister |
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Curta mechanical calculator by Gyroscopes |
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Square root of 2 using the odd subtraction method by HifiCentret Now go try Newtons method [ A=((N/A)+A)/2 ]... |
Links to other CURTA Calculator pages:
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The CURTA Calculator Page (here!) - by Rick Furr
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Curta.li - by Red
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Curt Herzstark and the Curta - by Jan Meyer
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Curta.Org: Your Complete Curta Calculator Site - by Leigh Klotz
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Curta - Maintenance and Repairs - by Marc Pellacoeur
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Curta Mania - by Alfredo Logioia
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The Museum Mura in Liechtenstein
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The Curta Curt Herzstark (in French) - by Noel JOUENNE
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CURTA Handhelds - The Museum of HP Calculators - by Dave Hicks
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The Amazing CURTA! - by Bruce Flamm
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How to Calculate with a CURTA - by Nicholas Bodley
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How Calculating Machines Worked - The Museum of HP Calculators - by Dave Hicks
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The Oughtred Society - Jon J Cverna
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Rechenfreund - by B. Schröder
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Rally Odometer/Clock Manuals - by Rally Racing News
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The Schreibmaschinen Museum - Stefan Beck
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Curta Service Europe
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Curta Service Italy
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Low Tech Magazine
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Retro Thing-Curta Miniature Mechanical Calculators
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Cyber Hero of the Past
