Fully Restored Olympia Simplex 'Super Model' Typewriter | Rare 1937 Army & Navy Stores Variant

📖 Product Overview: A "One-in-a-Million" Pre-War British Military Provenance Classic

Presenting a truly historic and exceptionally scarce find: the Olympia Simplex 'Super Model' (Serial No. 127989, manufactured in 1937). Verified by the Typewriter Database, this machine is an uncommon and highly sought-after variant of Olympia’s famous pre-war portable line.

This specific unit holds immense historical significance, having been custom-produced by Olympia exclusively for the legendary Army and Navy Stores Ltd in London. Originally formed in 1871 by a group of British military officers to supply premium domestic and general goods to its members, the company officially updated its name to the Army and Navy Store Ltd in 1934—just three years before this machine was crafted. Eventually acquired by the House of Fraser in 1973, the store's legacy lives on in this incredible piece of tactile history. Having only ever encountered this variant once before in our workshop history, this is a genuine "one-in-a-million" investment piece for serious collectors.

📊 Technical Specifications & Restoration Data

• Brand & Model: Olympia Simplex "Super Model" (Army & Navy Stores Special Edition).

• Serial Number: 127989 (Verified Year of Manufacture: 1937).

• Origin: Germany (Custom distributed via London, England).

• Keyboard Layout: Standard QWERTY Layout.

• Mechanical Condition: Fully restored to perfect daily working order with a smooth typing action and a beautifully clear, ringing margin bell.

• Important Mechanical Nuances (Honest Workshop Notes):

  • TAB Mechanism: As is completely standard with virtually all pre-1950 Olympia models we have restored over the decades, the mechanical TAB option operates slowly and is not practical for fast modern layouts. We recommend using standard spacing.

  • Colour Selector: Pre-installed with a fresh 10-meter black and red ribbon. Due to the alignment design of this 1930s mechanism, typing in red may occasionally leave a faint trace of black ink on the upper edge of the characters.

• Our Rigorous Workshop Restoration Upgrades:

  • Brand-New Fitted Platen Rubber: The original pre-war platen roller was completely worn and beaten after nearly a century. We have fully stripped and upgraded it with a brand-new recovered rubber platen layer (a £150 value), ensuring flawless paper grip and exceptionally crisp text imprints.

  • Deep Workshop Service: The entire inner basket and mechanical escapement have been completely deep-flushed, chemically degreased, and calibrated for smooth writing.

🎨 Cosmetic Condition & Original Accessories

• Cosmetic Presentation: Genuinely preserved in good to very good condition. The original paint finish is remarkably well-preserved for its age compared to other pre-war items we have handled. There are minor, authentic surface marks and random age spots across the frame and chrome components (please thoroughly inspect all listing photos).

• Historic Decal Provenance: Please note that due to natural age and handling over the last 89 years, the original "Army and Navy Stores" label on the back of the frame has faded.

• Keys: Features beautiful, clean classic round keytops showing only minor authentic marks on select characters.

• Original Case & Base: Supplied with its authentic original wooden carrying lid and baseboard in very good condition. The original leather/metal handle is intact and remains completely stable and usable.

✍️ Typeface & Font Details

• Typeface Style: Classic PICA Typeface.

• Font Pitch: Fixed at 10 Characters Per Inch (10 CPI / Pica size), delivering beautifully clear, prominent, and distinctively vintage text prints.

🌍 Global Shipping, Timelines & Tariff Information

• 🇺🇸 United States & 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Shipping (100% Free & All-Inclusive): Standard local & international shipping to the US and UK is completely free and included in the listed price. Furthermore, all US import tariffs and customs duties are fully prepaid by our workshop. There are absolutely zero hidden checkout fees, surprise border holds, or cash-on-delivery demands at your door.

• 🌐 International Shipping (Europe, Australia, Canada & Rest of World): We dispatch all website orders in less than 24 hours. We offer flexible, fully tracked premium shipping options calculated at checkout:

  • Standard International Delivery: Safely delivered via premium air courier directly to your doorstep in 3 to 7 working days (with prompt EU dispatch and highly competitive rates to Australia and remote destinations).

  • Express International Delivery Upgrade: Arrives at your door in just 1 to 3 working days for a small additional fee.

• Proprietary Global Packaging Protocol: To ensure a rare 1930s museum piece survives international air travel perfectly, we mechanically lock down the carriage rail, insulate the frame in multi-layered shock-absorbing cushioning, and suspend the entire unit within a heavy-duty, double-walled shipping box.

🤝 The "Ready-to-Write" Package & Lifetime Support

• Unbox & Start Writing: Your Olympia arrives pre-installed with a fresh ink ribbon and our primary step-by-step startup instructions designed by our workshop team. Simply unbox, release the carriage lock, and begin typing immediately.

• Video Learning Academy: Your package includes a direct link to our dedicated YouTube video tutorial, teaching you exactly how to type on, care for, adjust the margins, and change ink ribbons on your specific Olympia typewriter.

• Lifetime Technical Partnership: Your relationship with our workshop does not end at delivery. Every typewriter we sell comes with lifetime technical support. You receive direct email and video-call troubleshooting access to Walid and Joujou, the celebrated restoration experts from the BBC's The Repair Shop and major Netflix productions.