Almost every French constructeur had their trademark stems, whether
Herse (forged, machined alloy), Singer (fillet-brazed steel), Routens
(fillet-brazed steel), Narcisse (three tubes of steel fillet-brazed)
or others. It was considered the finishing touch of the bike, even if
Philippe et al. made perfectly fine production stems.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.mindspring.com/