ADB SP.1000 Belgian Theatre Spotlight Floor Lamp | 1960s 1KW Stage Light on Wild Heerbrugg Surveyor's Tripod
ADB SP.1000 Belgian Theatre Spotlight Floor Lamp | 1960s 1KW Stage Light on Wild Heerbrugg Surveyor's Tripod
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A genuine large 1KW theatre spotlight, ADB's SP.1000, built in Zaventem, Belgium in the 1960s and mounted on a fully renovated Wild Heerbrugg surveyor's tripod finished with gold details. A bold, fully functional floor lamp with real stage presence.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | ADB, ETS A. Backer S.A., Belgium |
| Model | SP.1000, large version, originally a 1KW / 1000 watt projector |
| Origin | Zaventem, Belgium |
| Produced | 1960s |
| Condition | Rewired, authentic patina, honest signs of decades of use |
| Beam control | Original beam-adjustment knob, switch between flood and spot |
| Adjustability | Spotlight direction fully adjustable |
| Wiring | Rewired, E27 fitting, approx. 3m electrical cord, inline switch, EU plug |
| Bulb | Compatible with any standard LED or incandescent bulb; bulb shown in photos included |
| Tripod | Wild Heerbrugg, model GST10, wooden surveyor's tripod |
| Tripod restoration | Fully renovated, finished with gold details |
| Spotlight dimensions | 50 x 45 x 37 cm (19.7" x 17.7" x 14.6") |
| Total height (adjustable) | 150–220 cm (59.1"–86.6") |
| Availability | One of one, once sold this exact piece will not return |
| Import duty | Payable by the buyer in their own country |
The story
ADB was founded in Zaventem, Belgium, in 1920 by Adrien De Backer, whose initials gave the company its name. The business began by manufacturing electrical resistors and rheostats for laboratory use, a modest starting point for what would become one of Europe's most respected names in stage lighting. In 1925, De Backer applied that same resistor technology to control the brightness of theatre lighting, and ADB went on to build the first light dimmer for the Malines City Theatre, equipment that reportedly stayed in reliable service for more than forty years. In 1938, the company introduced its first dedicated spotlights, and from there ADB never looked back, growing through the following decades into a manufacturer trusted by theatres, music halls, and broadcast studios across the continent. The company remained family-run until 1987, when it was acquired by Siemens, and its lighting technology lives on today under the Clay Paky group.
This SP.1000 is the large end of ADB's spotlight range, built around a 1000 watt lamp for the kind of throw and intensity a small theatre or television studio stage genuinely needed. The original beam-adjustment knob on the back of the housing still works, letting you shift between a tight spot and a broad flood exactly as a lighting technician would have done from the wings decades ago.
We mounted it on a Wild Heerbrugg GST10, a wooden surveyor's tripod from one of the most respected names in precision instrument making. Wild Heerbrugg was founded in 1921 in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, by the surveyor and instrument designer Heinrich Wild together with financial backer Jacob Schmidheiny and geologist Robert Helbling. The company became a world leader in geodetic and photogrammetric instruments, its theodolites and levels used for land surveys, mapping, and engineering projects across the globe, and its legacy continues today as part of Leica Geosystems. This particular tripod has been fully renovated and finished with gold details, giving a piece of serious Swiss engineering an unexpected second life holding up a Belgian stage light.
Because this spotlight served in real theatrical environments for decades, it carries honest signs of that life. These marks are not defects, they are proof of history, of use, of a story no reproduction can replicate. The spotlight has been fully rewired for safe home or studio use, fitted with an E27 socket, an inline switch, an EU plug, and roughly 3 metres of cable, so it accepts any standard LED or incandescent bulb. The one shown in the photographs is included.
Suited to industrial lofts, restaurants and bars, home studios, designer living rooms, retail spaces and boutiques, photography and film sets, creative studios, and architect offices, anywhere a large-scale piece of genuine stage history would earn its place.
