classic 1–383

The classic 1-380 Swiss wooden chair is an icon. Among the furniture of the era's historicism, the simple shape of this anonymous 1918 in-house creation seems to come from a different time: "plain and simple in its design, material-friendly in its manufacturing and unpretentious, robust, sustainable and natural—an icon of Swiss design," says Hubertus Adam, Director of the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basle. The classic therefore anticipates the role model of Swiss modular furniture. The 10 S was originally produced as a pub chair, and its unobtrusive impression fits into many different environments. Most probably, every Swiss person has already sat on one of them. It has populated schools, hotels and restaurants, and residential spaces for decades. Just like the Swiss pocket knife, this big hitter is part of Swiss design history, making it a cultural asset. Its extraordinary quality is also testament to the fact that the classic is no re-edition but has been produced continuously and unchanged since 1918; only its dimensions were gently adapted in 1999 because we are taller today than we were 100 years ago. And "1-380" was named "classic." Thanks to its "finest, competent execution," as it says in a 1917 advertisement, the chair with its solid steam-bentwood seat frame, rear legs and back will weather many decades. Its robust construction eliminates the need for any cross bracing, and its ergonomics are very cosy.
The classic has not only been part of the horgenglarus portfolio for nearly 100 years, it has also set standards, making it a classic amongst classics. It is the first one in a typology of related chairs launched since 1930s. The classic is the backbone of the horgenglarus collection, and Max Ernst Haefeli, Werner Max Moser, or later Hannes Wettstein, but also the "glaris" table, used it as a reference design. It has inspired designers such as Jasper Morrison or artists such as Rolf Sachs. And since 2009, 60 designers such as Jörg Boner, Frédéric Dedelley, Daniel Freitag, or Christophe Marchan, have so far interpreted the classic in the award-winning "Take a seat" project.