1958 Olympia SM3

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Another of the Best Typewriters Ever Made

Many feel, and I agree, that the German-made Olympia typewriters from the 50’s through 70’s are the best, most advanced, precision portables ever produced. The SM3 was also one of the most expensive, but expected to last for many years.

NOTE: This typewriter description is virtually identical for the 1957 model SM3 and the 1958, shown separately on different pages. The only difference between the two machines in my collection is that the 1957 happens to have the Elite typeface installed, whereas this 1958 machine has the Italic. Olympia offered four typefaces for the machines: Elite , Pica, Roman and Italic. Buyers could select their typestyle when they purchased their typewriters.

The “fit and finish” of the Olympia SM3s is second to none. They have a precision typing “feel” and sturdy, quality construction is immediately obvious. The rounded 1950s-modern stying is a step ahead of the “boxy”, “minimalist” and “art deco streamlined” design influences of the 1930s. Its gently rounded, elegant design is still admired today.

But most important in the SM3 is the advanced technology the model incorporated: line space choices included 1-, 1.5- and 2-line spacing (accommodating super scripts), single and half-space letter spacing was handy for making corrections (and an early step toward the proportional spacing that eventually became standard on IBM Selectrics and todays computers).

Clever notches in the plexiglass alignment guides allowed a pencil to be inserted for drawing horizontal and vertical lines and boxes by moving the carriage back and forth, up and down. Six (6) easily positionable tabulator settings allowed for dividing type into neat columns with borders.

The usual keys and levers include shift, shift-lock, margin release, tab and backspace keys as well as the platen release, line spacing, ribbon reverse, 3-position ribbon settings and touch control levers—but everything worked so smoothly and precisely that it was a pleasure instead of an effort to type on the machine. My two SM3s are still working well past the 60 years after they were made, though some cleaning and oiling are needed now to get them in good condition.
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The 1958 Olympia SM3 portable uses a 4-row, Qwerty, 44-key, frontstrike impact mechanism.
Overall condition: Good
Year: 1958
Serial No.: 1138811
Type language: English
Manufactured by Deutsche Werke A.G., Erfurt, Germany