Looking to have been made during the 1930s or 1940s this 125 mm x 610 mm (5" x 24") lathe is well-built, backgeared, crewcutting - and of absolutely straightforward design. Thought to be French, it is fitted with a built-on countershaft the belt tension of which is controlled by mechanism operated by a handwheel on the front of the bed immediately below the headstock (in the manner of some Myford 4-inch precision lathes) . Flat-topped, the bed features English-type narrow vertical ways guiding a carriage with long, symmetrical wings. The compound slide rest, with a hefty top slide, carries unusually large micrometer dials.
If you know anything about its origins, or recognise it from a contemporary advertisement, please do make contact.