Hermes & Baggenstos – From Typewriter to Cloud | 100 Years of Innovation

Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, carried Zeus’s decrees to humankind. He was also the god of travel, commerce, and communication – and, jokingly, of certain luxury handbags.

Robust and Reliable

Hermes was also the name of a typewriter, developed by Paillard SA from the ground up, with the Hermes 2 entering series production in 1923. In 1935 came the Hermes Baby – the most advanced “laptop” of its time. No Cloud, but plenty of fans – among them the legendary writer Ernest Hemingway. “The writer’s typewriter” became the favourite tool of journalists for its compactness, reliability, and durability.

For Baggenstos – founded in 1925 – Hermes typewriters were the cornerstone of early success. They boosted productivity at home and in offices alike, producing clean, legible documents and making information more accessible. August Baggenstos recognised their potential, securing the Swiss general agency including a repair workshop. Switzerland became a nation of typewriters.

Hermes Advertising from the Pre-Cloud Era – in Fast Forward:

Learn more about 100 years of Baggenstos

Reliable IT Services

The paper cloud on Swiss desks gradually evolved into a digital Cloud. Thomas Baggenstos recognised the shift early and entered the personal computer business ahead of the curve. The rest is a story we’re living today: the transformation into a managed services company built on solutions from the Microsoft ecosystem, the business standard of our time. Perhaps Hermes still watches over the company – nowadays, he’d be the god of data traffic.

For the anniversary of 100 years of the typewriter, August Baggenstos presents the finest pieces from his collection: