As a native of Switzerland, I am a little partial to Hermes typewriters (which, of course, were designed and made there). This said, I truly love the look and feel of these machines. In particular, a 1970 “boxy” Hermes 3000 and a 1946 Media 2000 are some of my favorite typewriters.
I would love to eventually complete my collection with:
In the meanwhile, this page presents my collection of 20 Hermes typewriters as of May 2025, covering over 30 years of history.
The collection
1943 - This military green Hermes Media with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard came in a metal military case. It looks great after refurbishing.1946 - This shiny black Hermes Media with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard looks stunning after refurbishing. It has a new platen and types really well.1949 - This Hermes Baby with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard has been refurbished and is one of my best-looking portables, in part thanks to the new red felt.1951 - This is an early Hermes Ambassador with US QWERTY keyboard. It is refurbished, has a new platen, and types quite well. The black keys look like they don't fit, but I have seen a few instances of Ambassadors with this key treatment.1951 - This is the younger sibling of the 1949 Hermes Baby with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine has also been refurbished with red felt.1954 - This Ruf-branded machine is similar to the Hermes 2000, but with special m2 and m3 keys. It features a Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine still needs refurbishing.1955 - Hermes 2000 with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard in dark gray. This machine still needs refurbishing.195x - Hermes Media 2000 with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard in Gray. This machine still needs refurbishing.1958 - I bought Hermes Media in very pale green with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard for a song, and it turns out to be an amazing machine after refurbishing. It has a new platen.1961 - Hermes Baby with Swiss-French QWERTZ keyboard. This machine has been refurbished.1962 - Hermes 3000 "curvy" with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine is in beautiful condition.1963 - Hermes 3000 "curvy" with US QWERTY keyboard. I fixed this machine, and it now works quite well.1964 - Media 3 "curvy" with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine still needs refurbishing.1967 - Media 3 "boxy" with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine still needs refurbishing.1967 - Hermes 3000 "boxy" with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard. This machine still needs refurbishing.1970 - This is a beautiful "boxy" Hermes 3000 with US QWERTY keyboard. This is one of my favorite typers, and it prints beautifully on the page.1971 - This white plastic Hermes Baby with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard is not as sturdy as the earlier metal-bodied ones, but I think that it still looks beautiful after refurbishing. Like with my earlier Babys, I used the red felt treatment.1971 - This plastic-bodied third-generation Hermes with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard looks and types beautifully after reconditioning. You might think that these later machines are poor cousins of the earlier 3000, but I love this one.1976 - This is a very late Hermes Ambassador with Swiss-German QWERTZ keyboard, and it came in a military crate. The machine looks great, but the basket is entirely frozen.1976? - This is an uncommon Hermes 808 electric typewriter with US QUERTY keyboard. It works using a single-element, like the IBM Selectric. This machine needs fixing and refurbishing.
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