A Brief History of the Italian Marque
Officine Meccaniche Ing. Fausto Alberti was formed in 1922 and soon achieved fame in the field of precision engineering with the construction of machine tools.
In 1931 they began design studies for the construction of motorcycles.
Motorcycle production took place in an advanced facility in Viale Certosa in Milan under the Sertum brand, latin for "crown".
It seems that the brand name was chosen by Enrico Gnesutta, commercial director of the company and father-in-law of Fausto Alberti, who from 1899 to 1900 had built motorcycles with his own name and bicycles with the Sertum brand.
The first model, a 175cc side valve, received immediate acclaim from the public and had sporting success.
In 1933 the Batua was introduced with pressed steel frame, and the following year Sertum produced powerful 500cc twin-cylinder engines and 250cc single-cylinder models, using ohv and sidevalve configurations.
The firm became very successful and in the thirties Sertum became one of the five largest Italian motorcycle manufacturers, the other being Benelli, Bianchi, Gilera and Moto Guzzi. With the exception of Benelli, all are from Lombardi.
Production expanded to include motocarro and motofurgoncini three-wheelers built under Goliath license.
At the end of the war production resumed; post-war models are recognizable because since 1945 the Sertum logo no longer has a crown. Economic conditions proved difficult and in 1951 Sertum closed.
Sources: Moto di Lombardia
