Those Bauknecht models were better built than the newer ones, that's for sure, but I don't think they were as some of the other German brands. Indeed interesting that they became the name Beekay in the UK.
I love the Bosch washer/dryer, I was always fascinated by it. One dial was the cycle selector IIRC there were 20 programmes. The timer was behind a small window I think. The other dial is for the drying programmes. Probably only time controlled.
The Bendix was sold in the Netherlands mostly by the department store V&D (fully: Vroom & Dreesmann, by friends of mine always referred to as Vulgar and Disgusting LOL). Those were reliable AND affordable machines. I still remember how the timer felt. If you turned it you felt a heavy resistance.
Creda started selling washers in the Netherlands in the eighties I suppose. It was then when I saw a Creda washing machine for the first time while the smaller Creda dryers were on the market here long before that.
I had never heard of the Hirundo brand, but it shouts indeed Indesit.
I really love that Miele toploader washer/dryer. I have always had a weak spot for H-axis toploaders. The built in dryer makes it even better I guess. There were more German brands that had a topload washer/dryer combo sooner or later. I remember specific models from AEG and Siemens. The Miele toploader was a rare specimen, I think that it was only made for a short while.
The Philips 707 is a beauty! I love those older Philips models with the timer on the left. There was indeed no separate spin on those models because the spin started with a drum full of water. When you stopped the machine in the middle of a spin and wanted to restart it would refuse that, it would only pump. If you wanted a spin you had to set the timer on the last rinse and do a full rinse before it would do a spin again.
BTW, I love the label "worth thinking about"!
