From gunsmith shop to calculator giant: 1886-1974
Carl Walther establishes a gunsmith business in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia, Germany. With a staff of 15, they begin manufacturing hunting and sporting rifles.
FoundingCarl's son Fritz designs Walther's first automatic pistol, establishing the company's reputation as an innovative firearms manufacturer.
InnovationCarl Walther passes away. His son Fritz Walther takes control of the company during World War I.
CompanyThe treaty severely restricts German arms manufacturing. Walther must diversify into civilian products to survive.
CrisisIn partnership with Mercedes-Euklid, Walther introduces its first hand-cranked pinwheel calculator based on the Odhner design. A new industry is born.
Calculator LaunchWalther launches electrically-driven calculator models, eliminating the need for manual cranking and increasing calculation speed.
ElectricFull-keyboard adding and listing machines join the product line, expanding Walther's office equipment offerings.
New ProductThe Walther RMKZ becomes a flagship product: 10 rotors, 8 counter digits, 13 accumulator digits. Built from lightweight aluminum alloy.
Flagship ModelAt its peak, Walther offers 17 different calculator models with exports to countries worldwide. The RMKZ, RMZ, DMKZ, and DRKZ lead the lineup.
PeakThe Walther factory in Zella-Mehlis is destroyed in WWII. Zella-Mehlis falls in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany.
DestructionFritz Walther rebuilds the company in the Allied zone. New calculator factories open in Gerstetten and Nieder-Stotzingen, Württemberg.
RebuildingThe WSR-160 debuts as Walther's most refined pinwheel calculator: 16-digit accumulator, back-transfer mechanism, unified clearing lever. It will be the last mechanical model.
Final ModelFritz Walther passes away in December. His son Karl-Heinz Walther takes over leadership of the company.
LeadershipProduction of the WSR-160 ends. The "Japanese calculator wars" make electronic calculators cheaper and more capable than mechanical ones.
End of EraWalther releases the ETR-1031S, an electronic calculator using a Rockwell MOS-LSI chip. A 12-digit Panaplex display replaces mechanical registers.
ElectronicThe office machines division closes. Parts of the business continue as Walther Electronic AG and later Walther Data GmbH, specializing in scanning and sorting equipment.
Closure