To mark the occasion of our 50th anniversary, we take a look at some of WILD‘s very first product Highlights.

For decades, it was considered the quintessence of reliability and precision among geodesists: the theodolite by WILD Heerbrugg. The device was used to measure and calculate vertical and horizontal angle differences.

As of the early 70s, the Völkermarkt factory began manufacturing different components for the theodolite on behalf of the Swiss parent company. Production was quite challenging, since, even back then, you had to maintain technical tolerances of a thousandth of a millimetre. ”The next step was to develop assembly expertise and to learn how to handle optical elements. The demands on the workers were high and the manufacturing possibilities were limited by the machinery available at the time. For instance, electronic calibration did not exist. Mechanics and optics were the only ways of achieving maximum measurement accuracy“, recalls Richard Hall, who has been working for WILD since 1975.

As of 1981, the main products eventually included tripods with an optical plummet, which WILD assembled for theodolites and automatic levels. This was the starting point for the assembly of entire component groups and products, manufactured in small and medium series. It was also the beginning of WILD‘s evolution into a systems Partner.