Sears

Tower 120 Flash

Sears is the most famous mail order house in the world since its Chicago building Sears Tower was the highest in the world for a certain period. In the U.S.A. it was the greatest mail-order an retail vendor of consumer goods. It was founded by Richard W. Sears in 1886. It started as reseller of watches in North Redwood, Minnesota. In 1887 Sears moved to Chicago and employed Alvah C. Roebuck as watch- and toolmaker. In 1893 Roebuck became partner in the company which then was renamed Sears, Roebuck & Co.. Like other great mail-order houses Sears had a house-brand for cameras, the Tower cameras which were all OEM products, made by different renowned camera makers of several countries.

Distributed cameras

original camera	sold as
Bilora Bella	Tower 5 (127 film)
Brownie type box - Germany	Tower 7 (120 film)
Mfr? Germany	Tower 8 (box camera)
Mamiya	Tower 10A
16mm submini spy cam	Tower 16
Mamiya 48mm f/2	Tower 18B
Olympus Ace E	Tower 19
Mamiya 48mm f/1.7	Tower 20B
Asahiflex IIB	Tower 23
Asahiflex IIB	Tower 24
???	Tower 26 SLR
??? variant on 26	Tower 29 SLR
Mamiya-Sekor lens, Exakta/Topcon mnt?	Tower 32B
Braun Paxette Reflex	Tower 33 Reflex
Braun	Tower 34 Reflex
???	Tower 37
???	Tower 39 - very odd rectangular box with larg bulb flash
???	Sears 39 - very odd as Tower 39
???	Sears 41 - very odd as Tower 39
Toyoca-44	Tower 44
Halma 44	Tower 44B
Nicca 5L f/2	Tower 45
Nicca f/1.4	Tower 46
Iloca Rapid	Tower 50
? Steinheil Cassar lens 50mm f/2.8 made in Germany	Tower 51 (not folding, 35mm)
Iloca Rapid B	Tower 51 (120 folding)
Iloca Rapid IIL	Tower 52
PAX M4(?)	Tower 55
? Japan, Color Luna Lens 45mm f3.5	Tower 55B
Samoca LE	Tower 57A
Ising Pucky I	Tower 120 Flash
Busch 4x5 Pressman	Tower 4×5 Pressman
Ricoh 126 C Automatic	Sears Easi-Load FC 600
Mamiya ???	Tower Automatic 35
Nicca III	Tower Type 3
Nicca, Leotax?	Tower Type 3S
Bilora Bella	Tower Synchroflash
made in USA (mfr?)	Tower Skipper (127 brownie box size)
Ansco Marvel S-20	???
Reflecta	Trumpfreflex
???	Sears Model 65
???	Tower Camflash 127 (see also: Tower,Sears 39)
???	Sears Model 600 Easi load FC (flash Cube) Instamatic
Ricoh XR-6	Sears KS-1

Several Tower cameras were also made by Bilora. Sears lenses for SLRs were made by Ricoh. Conley was a partner of Sears & Roebuck. In 1924 Conley was owned by Sears, and bought Seneca. But the Seneca brand disappeared in 1926. In 1980 Sears, Roebuck and Co. was restructured and rebranded to Sears Merchandise Group.