Hansa Mod. II Mechanical Self Timer with yellow case

Hansa Mod. II Mechanical Self Timer

$58.00 CAD
$58.00 CAD

WHAT CONDITION THE CONDITION IS IN: 88-Day Confirmed Operation Warranty. This mechanical self timer is in near perfect condition and comes with its original case. Keep scrolling for the full story or skip to the one picture (it was a busy day and we ran out of time).

This Hansa Self Timer Mod. II is a 60mm chrome cylinder from Tokyo's Ōmiya Photo Supply Co. that likely exists, because someone in 1950s Japan decided that photographers weren't already burdened by their own neuroses and needed a clockwork device to add seconds of existential anticipation to shooting.

Produced during Japan's extraordinary post-war industrial renaissance, when precision craftsmanship was both a point of national pride and an economic lifeline, this spring-driven contraption offers a 10-to-15-second delay via mechanics so overbuilt it sneers at disposability.

What sets it apart from the crowd of universal pin-style timers is its so-called "Leica nipple" bell collar, a wide, internally-threaded mount that screws directly over the external shutter release collars of Barnack-style Leicas, early Nikon S bodies, and some Canon rangefinders.

The all-metal chassis is overbuilt to the point of vanity, the winding arm sports a red dot because even Japanese engineers had a flair for the dramatic, and yes, the arm bends if mishandled, which is simply what happens when you're that refined in a world that isn't.

That rhythmic ticking, once wound, is less a mechanical sound than a tiny oath, a promise that the photo will be taken, that you'll be in it, that the moment was worth the ritual.

As the primary solution for rangefinders lacking internal cable release threading, the Mod. II wasn't just a clever workaround; it was, for its era, the workaround. The Mod. II is an artifact of Japan's post-war precision era that solved a problem nobody else bothered to solve elegantly, and if that's not immortality, it's at least a very good excuse to be in the photograph.

Technical Specifications
  • Origin & Era: Distributed by Ōmiya Photo Supply Co. (Tokyo, Japan), manufactured circa 1952–1958 during Japan's postwar precision mechanical export boom.
  • Mechanism & Escapement: Fully mechanical spring-wound clockwork provides a regulated 10-to-15-second shutter delay.
  • Mounting Interface: Internally threaded bell collar ("Leica nipple" fitting) designed to thread directly over the external raised shutter release collar of cameras lacking standard cable release threading.
  • Materials & Build: Solid machined brass casing with a polished chrome exterior finish and a red enamel tracking dot on the winding lever.
  • Actuation System: Spring-loaded central plunger
  • Physical Dimensions: Roughly 60 mm total length, 16–18 mm barrel diameter, weighing approximately 45–55 g (1.6–1.9 oz).
  • Direct Compatibility: Barnack-style screw-mount Leicas (Leica I, II, III series without built-in timers), Nikon rangefinder bodies (Nikon I, M, S, S2), early Canon screw-mount bodies (Canon II, III, IV).