About the Company
Butoba is better known for watches, but it did briefly and legitimately enter the tape recorder market during the formative years of European magnetic recording.
Butoba — Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder Production History
Company: Butoba Uhrenfabrik GmbH
Country: West Germany
Founded: 1938 (as a watch manufacturer)
Reel-to-reel tape production: Early–mid 1950s
Market: Domestic / semi-professional
Technology: Valve (tube), mono
Butoba was primarily a German watch and timing-instrument manufacturer, but like several German precision firms of the early post-war era, it briefly diversified into magnetic tape recording, leveraging its expertise in mechanical precision and motors.
Historical Context
In post-WWII West Germany:
Magnetic tape technology (derived from the Magnetophon) was widely available
Precision mechanical firms sought new civilian markets
Tape recorders were seen as a natural extension of timing and motor expertise
Companies such as:
Uher
Grundig
Dual
And briefly Butoba
entered the reel-to-reel tape recorder field during the early 1950s boom.
Entry into Tape Recording (Early 1950s)
Butoba’s tape recorders were introduced around 1952–1954, during the first wave of West German consumer tape machines.
Design Characteristics
Mono, full-track
Vacuum-tube electronics
Speeds typically 3¾ and 7½ ips
5″ and sometimes 7″ reels
Precision capstan and motor assemblies
Conservative, understated industrial design
The machines reflected Butoba’s background:
Emphasis on mechanical accuracy
Conservative electronics
Solid, durable construction
Known Models and Identification
Unlike Grundig or Uher, Butoba produced very few models, and documentation is scarce.
Surviving examples and period references suggest:
Small production runs
Possible outsourcing of electronics
In-house or contracted transport mechanisms
Some units were:
Sold under the Butoba name
Possibly co-branded or re-badged for retailers
No stereo or later transistorized Butoba tape recorders are known.
Market Position
Butoba tape recorders were aimed at:
Enthusiasts
Educational users
Light semi-professional use
They were positioned above entry-level kits, but below professional studio machines.
They competed indirectly with:
Early Grundig TK series
Early Uher mono recorders
Small German boutique manufacturers
Exit from Tape Recorder Production
By the mid-1950s:
Competition from Grundig and Uher intensified
Tape recorders became capital-intensive to develop
Electronics innovation outpaced Butoba’s core competencies
Butoba withdrew quietly from tape recorder production, refocusing entirely on:
Watches
Precision timing instruments
Unlike Uher, Butoba did not transition to portable transistorized machines.
Legacy
Today, Butoba reel-to-reel machines are:
Extremely rare
Known mostly to German collectors
Often undocumented outside private archives
They are valued for:
Historical interest
High-quality mechanical construction
Representation of the experimental post-war German electronics landscape
They are not considered audiophile reference machines, but are historically significant as examples of cross-industry experimentation.
In Brief
Butoba was a West German precision manufacturer that briefly produced mono reel-to-reel tape recorders in the early 1950s, applying its mechanical expertise from watchmaking to magnetic recording. Production was limited and short-lived, and the company exited the field as competition intensified.