Precision - Text 3
When he began work on designing what would become the Bolex H16 camera, the engineer Marc Renaud intended to observe the tradition which had made Paillard’s success: “The essential feature of the new camera, it seems to me, must be that of every device made by Paillard, whose reputation is solidly established, meaning a constructive feature: precision and perfect operation.”[1] This connection to Swiss precision was not just an advertising slogan, but was evident also in the design itself of the equipment. Renaud drew directly from clock-work mechanics to establish the size of the spring box and the force of the spring activating the camera, as well as the positioning of the spindles and gears on the plate. In addition, and drawing on the methods of assembling the moving parts of a clock, Renaud decided to fix the entire camera mechanism between two plates, making it possible not only to assemble the mechanism independently of the body, but also to ensure very great stability and perfect alignment of the spindles.
