11/05/2026
Some inventions are so good that they last for generations. ⏳
In 1939, Hans Siebert developed the first SIKA machine glass thermometer – and thus laid the foundation for a success story that continues to this day.
87 years later, hardly anything has changed in the basic measuring principle. Why should they? The design was well thought out even then: robust, reliable and durable. Without any electricity, without moving mechanical parts – and still in use today in numerous industrial applications.
But our machine glass thermometers have another special feature: they tell us a piece of their own history!
What many people don't know: Since 1976, the year of manufacture of appropriately marked SIKA machine glass thermometers can be determined by a small number next to the SIKA logo.
And that's exactly what makes looking at our historical models so exciting:
Our photo shows a machine glass thermometer with a black pressed fabric housing, which was manufactured between 1943 and 1960. Another bears the code "13" and thus dates from 1989. And the "50"? It stands for 2026 – this thermometer has just been made!
Between these thermometers lie decades full of technical developments. And yet they share the same ingenious basic idea from 1939.
For us, this is more than a piece of company history. It shows that real quality is not short-lived and that good engineering can last for generations.
Invented in 1939. Proven to this day. And it's far from the end.
Do you perhaps have an older SIKA machine glass thermometer in use yourself? Then take a look at what story it tells!
Find our thermometers at https://bit.ly/4BMwrrS