200 Years of Surveying History

2021

"Heinrich Wild, Werkstätte für Feinmechanik und Optik" was founded in Heerbrugg 100 years ago. Within a century, the company evolved into Leica Geosystems and is now part of the global Hexagon Group. These companies are masters of innovation, with a great passion for precision and ahead of their time. In 1921 just as in 2021.

2019

The City Museum Aarau opens the exhibition "Kern exakt200!" to celebrate 200 years of Swiss surveying history. In 1819 - exactly 200 years ago - Jakob Kern founded his measurement instrument factory in Aarau and laid the foundation for a successful company history.

2016

Leica Geosystems announces the first product in their new BLK product series, the Leica BLK360, a highly innovative one-button imaging scanner.

2013

With the Leica Pegasus:One the company announces its first vehicle-agnostic mobile mapping solution.

2010

The Leica myWorld customer portal is introduced to allow customers to access product information, support tools and trainings online.

2005

Acquired by Hexagon AB, Sweden, and start of a new era. The innovative power of Kern, Wild and Leica Geosystems still shape Hexagon's world today.

2000

IPO of Leica Geosystems (LGSN) on Swiss Stock Exchange. American company Cyra Technologies Inc. is acquired and thus the age of high-definition 3D scanning starts.

1997

Leica Group split into Leica Microsystems and Leica Geosystems. Hans Hess becomes President of Leica Geosystems

1994

Acquisition of civilian GPS businesses from Magnavox and introduction of System 200 – the first in-house GPS product.

1991

Digitisation continues apace: in March the WILD NA2000, the world’s first digital level, causes a sensation at the USA’s most important surveying congress in Denver. It is awarded the photonics innovation prize.

1990

WILD-Leitz merges with Cambridge Instruments to become the Leica Group.

1988

Kern & Co. AG is acquired by the WILD-Leitz Group.

1986

Formation of the Wild Leitz Group, acquisition of Leitz Wetzlar (including Leica Camera business) announced on 17 December 1986.

1985

In partnership with American company Magnavox Corporation, the first GPS receiver for surveying applications, the WILD WM101, is launched.

1980

Kern has a breakthrough in analytical photogrammetry with the DSR1 stereoplotter and the GP1 plotter.

1977

The introduction of electronic theodolites, starting with the Kern E2, is a major step towards digitisation and automation. The in-built liquid compensator formed the basis for the inclination sensors used today.

1969

«Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed». The first moon landing was filmed with a camera that contained a lens developed and manufactured by Kern.

1968

The first infrared distance measurement instrument DISTOMAT DI10 (developed by WILD and French company Sercel) revolutionised surveying technology as the first close range metre. It can measure distances of up to 1,000 m with centimetre accuracy.

1964

The hundred thousandth WILD theodolite is calibrated in Heerbrugg and shipped off to be used anywhere on the planet.

1959

Kern launches the Switar-Objective 1:1,6,f=10 mm with the world's fastest light transmission. This is an important milestone in optics and the stepping stone for the NASA order for the Apollo mission.

1947

The new double-circle self-reducing tachymeter DK-RT is a standard instrument for land register surveys in Switzerland for decades.

1932

The WILD C12 stereometric camera is launched. It is used for photogrammetric surveying. Countless police organisations around the world used such an instrument for decades.

1927

The rapid development of aeroplanes means that aerial cameras can be used. Heinrich WILD developed a lens which is used in the new C2 aerial camera.

1926

The first two A2 autographs are delivered to the Amt für Landestopografie along with WILD phototheodolites.

1923

Heinrich Wild revolutionises surveying with the first theodolite T2.

1921

Foundation of WILD Heerbrugg in Heerbrugg, Switzerland on 26 April 1921.

1904

The 1904 model precision level was built based on a report created by Heinrich Wild, engineer at the department of topography.

1851

Jakob Kern is awarded at a world exhibition in London for the quality of his products.

1835

Delivery of a Borda circle, a twelve-inch theodolite, to General Dufour. It was an essential tool in the creation of the Dufour map of Switzerland.

1819

Foundation of the «Mechanical Workshop Jacob Kern» in Aarau, Switzerland. Jakob Kern initially produced instruments for technical drawings and until 1900 these remained the main production branch of Kern. These instruments become the worldwide standard for technology and quality.