Skip to content
The Encyclopedia of Horology

Tool · Watchmaker's lathe

Lorch Schmidt & Co. Watchmaker's Lathe Set

Partially verified

This horological tool set comprises a watchmaker's lathe and accessories attributed by the source to Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, circa 1940. Housed in a fitted wooden box measuring 15 by 42 by 29 cm, the lathe is accompanied by various attachments. According to the auction description, the tooling includes a face-plate, slide rest, tailstock, a head for 6 mm chucks, dead center turns, a filing attachment, and wheel-cutting, wheel, shellac, and wire chucks. The source notes that the slide rest is signed by the maker.

Elevated view of Lorch Schmidt & Co. watchmaker's lathe set in fitted wooden box with accessories
Elevated view of Lorch Schmidt & Co. watchmaker's lathe set in fitted wooden box with accessories — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category
Tool · Watchmaker's lathe
Maker / attribution
Lorch Schmidt & Co.
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
193
Source-reported date
circa 1940
Country
Germany

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Object Identification

The object is identified by the source as a watchmaker's lathe produced by Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, dated to approximately 1940. The ensemble is housed in a wooden box with reported dimensions of 15 x 42 x 29 cm.

The auction record describes the item as a watchmaker's lathe in an original wooden box. A signature is reported by the source to be located on the slide rest.

Evidence for this section
  • “Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, circa 1940.”
  • “Dim. Box: 15 x 42 x 29 cm.”
  • “Signed on the slide rest.”

Included Accessories

The source lists a comprehensive set of tooling accompanying the lathe. Recorded components include a face-plate, slide rest, tail stock, and a head designed for 6 mm chucks.

The collection includes specialized attachments such as dead center turns, a filing attachment, and various chucks described as wheel-cutting, wheel, shellac, and wire chucks, alongside other miscellaneous items.

Evidence for this section
  • “face-plate, slide rest, tail stock, head for 6 mm. chucks with bead and tail stock, dead center turns, filing attachment, wheel-cutting chucks, wheel chucks, shellack chucks, wire chucks and other small miscellaneous accessories.”

Visual Observations

The set is presented in an open fitted wooden box. The internal layout features dedicated compartments for the lathe components.

Exterior features of the box include a visible keyhole escutcheon and front-mounted hook fasteners. The condition of the ensemble is noted by the source as 'Good condition'.

Evidence for this section
  • “Open fitted wooden box containing lathe parts and numerous upright collets or chucks”
  • “Visible keyhole escutcheon and front hook fasteners on the wooden casing”
  • “Good condition.”

Open research questions

  • Can the internal arrangement of the specific collets and chucks be definitively mapped to a standard Lorch Schmidt & Co. set layout?
  • Does the reported signature on the slide rest match known manufacturing marks used by the company circa 1940?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Lorch Schmidt & Co. Watchmaker's Lathe Set
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerLorch Schmidt & Co.“Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, circa 1940.”
Datecirca 1940“circa 1940.”
Country of originGermany“Germany, circa 1940.”
Signature locationOn the slide rest“Signed on the slide rest.”
Box dimensions15 x 42 x 29 cm“Dim. Box: 15 x 42 x 29 cm.”
MakerLorch Schmidt & Co.“Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, circa 1940.”
Dimensions15 x 42 x 29 cm“Dim. Box: 15 x 42 x 29 cm.”
Sale PriceCHF 7,475“Sold: CHF 7,475”

Visible details

  • Open fitted wooden box containing lathe parts and numerous upright collets or chucks
  • Visible keyhole escutcheon and front hook fasteners on the wooden casing
  • Lathe bed, headstock assembly, and cross-slide mechanisms mounted in dedicated compartments

Research qualifications

  • Individual accessories catalogued by the source cannot be separately verified due to image resolution
  • Signature on the slide rest reported by the source is not legible in the photograph

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Lorch Schmidt & Co., Germany, circa 1940. Watchmaker's lathe in original large wooden box with the following accessories: | Important collector's watches, wristwatches and clocks and Horological Tool | Hotel Richemond, Geneva, 13th April 2002

Reviewed 2026-10-25 · Record 396fa7a3e2

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

Other watchmaker's lathe records