ZUIHO OPTICAL INSTRUMENT CO., LTD. (Japan)

Zuihō Kōgaku Seiki K.K./ 瑞宝光学精機㈱

ZUIHO OPTICAL CO LTD

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS: ZUIHO BINOCULARS, probably AZUZA BINOCULARS (indicated/unproven), probably MEGAPHOS BINOCULARS (indicated/unproven)

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INFORMATION :  CAMERAPEDIA , JAPANESE MANUFACTURER’S CODES FOR OPTICAL PRODUCTS (Europa/Bill Beacom), HISTORIC CAMERA

Japan based Zuihō Optical Instrument Co. was a Japanese trading company and/ distributor and exporter and assembling manufacturer of binoculars, and also handled and or manufactured cameras, microscopes, and surveying transits and levels, and probably other products. Zuiho was probably operating in the 1940’s as Zuihō Sokuryō Kiki K.K. ( 瑞宝測量機器㈱ ) and by the early 1950’s as Zuihō Kōgaku Seiki K.K. ( 瑞宝光学精機㈱ ) in Kyōbashi, making binoculars and measuring instruments. Zuiho Optical Co Ltd was formed in 1956 to distribute the Honor brand cameras made by Meijro, and by 1958 had probable merged or bought Meijro and was listed as manufacturing the cameras. As was documented with other companies that both manufactured and distributed and exported both their own and other brands and goods including those they contracted to have manufactured for them, the manufacturing and trading companies were usually affiliated but somewhat separate. On the 1959 list of optical manufacturers Zuihō Optical instrument Co ( JB25 ) had an address at 3-7, Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and was active assembling binoculars at least through 1964. The CEO of Zuihō Optical Instrument Co. Yamada Shizuka ( 山田静 ) reportedly was head of the Japan Binoculars Export Promotion Association. The Association published books and pamphlets on Japanese binoculars and how to choose binoculars through at least 1965, but may also have had a role in managing production levels among it’s members.  TO SEE OUR ZUIHO BINOCULARS NAVIGATE TO PHOTO GALLERY #6 .

    USA     

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LENCO PHOTO PRODUCTS/ LENCO, INC. USA)

    USA     

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Cute Cat with Bueno Binoculars.
Gato con binoculares.
Chat avec jumelles.
Katze mit fernglas.
Cat with binoculars.
Chat avec jumelles. Katze mit fernglas.
Gato con binoculares.
Katt med kikare.
Gatto con il binocolo.
Kat met verrekijker.
Katt med kikkert.
Kot z lornetka.
Kocka s dalekohled.
Mand med kikkert.
Macska tavcsovel.
Kissa kiikariella.
Gato com binoculos.
Kakis ar binokli.
Kate su ziuronu.L

TAYMOR INDUSTRIES (CANADA)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS (brand used? ) KURT MULLER OPTICA BINOCULARS

Taymor Industries Ltd of Canada distributed a very wide range of products over the years from bathroom hardware and tools to boats and camping goods, and has had several distinctive trade marked “TAYMOR” logos. It is believed that as part of the range of camping goods (tents, backpacks, cook stoves, Mountain House freeze dried foods) Taymor offered a range of imported Japanese binoculars in the 1960’s and 1970’s branded as “Kurt Muller Optica” or “Kurt Muller”, including miniature pattern binoculars. A good number of the larger “Kurt Muller” binoculars are observed to also have the distinctive Taymor Industries logo (though some Kurt Muller branded binoculars that look a bit earlier do not have the logo)

  CANADA

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Text Box: VINTAGE MINIATURE BINOCULARS

Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars.  Binoculars MUSEUM

 

- GERMAN ORIGINS #1

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- JAPANESE ORIGINS #1

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- INTRODUCTION #1

- INTRODUCTION #2

- DISTRIBUTION #1

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- FUN ANALYZING BRANDS #1

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- BINOCULARS BY BRAND A-B

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND C-G

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND H-M

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND N-Q

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND R-S

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND T-Z

- PHOTO GALLERY #1

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- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #1

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- ORIGINAL BOXES #1

- ORIGINAL BOXES #2

- CAN YOU REPAIR THESE?

- REPAIR SEIZED OCULARS IF

- COLLIMATE AND REPAIR CF

- MORE REPAIRS #1

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- IDENTIFY THIS

- SWAP SHOP & MISC

- MISC #1

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- BIG & SMALL #1

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- BIG & SMALL #4

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- OTHER BINOCULARS #1

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- OTHER BINOCULARS #3

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- OTHER BINOCULARS #5

- OTHER BINOCULARS #6

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- OTHER BINOCULARS #10

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- BINOCULAR CATALOGS #01

- BINOCULAR CATALOGS #02

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- DATA BINOCULARS BRANDS

- INDEX #1 (A-D)

- INDEX #2 (E-O)

- INDEX #3 (P-Z)

- JB JE MFGR. CODE LIST

- TRADEMARKED LOGOS

Text Box:    PAGE NAVIGATION: I WANT TO SEE:

Please note: a great amount of effort has been made to try to be as accurate as possible. But information about distribution tends to be scarce and fragmentary, and errors or misinterpretation are possible and/or probable. Please keep in mind that any errors are unintentional, and will be cheerfully corrected upon notification And that this is a not for profit attempt to document otherwise unavailable aspects of binocular history by optics enthusiasts, for the benefit of optics enthusiasts. The distinction between Japanese manufacturers, exporters, and distributors and importing country wholesale and retail distribution may be blurred, so I have been generous about inclusion.

Distribution of Japanese Miniature Binoculars. Miniatur Fernglas Verteilung. Jumelles Miniature Distribution. Миниатюрные бинокли распределения. 小型双眼鏡配布 . Miniatyr Kikare Distribution. Prismáticos en Miniatura Distribución. Distribuzione dei Binocoli Giapponesi Miniatura.

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WHOLESALE PHOTO SUPPLY CO INC (USA)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS LUCIFER BINOCULARS, TASCO BINOCULARS, THROBRED BINOCULARS, NIPPON KOGAKU MIKRON

FULL SIZE BINOCULAR BRANDS: CARL ZEISS, WOLLENSAK, SELSI, STEINHEIL, AIRGUIDE, COLMONT, LEMAIRE, WOODSMAN, HEINE, STELLAR, PALOMAR, SWIFT & ANDERSON, JASON, THOROBRED, MT RANIER, RANGER, SANS & STREIFFE, SPORTSTER, SCOPE, NIPPON KOGAKU, HEINE, KERN, BINOCULARS

Wholesale Photo Supply Co Inc of 42 W Cermak Rd Chicago 16 Illinois USA (1956) and subsequently of 2229 S Michigan Ave Chicago Illinois USA (1960) is known through their large and expansive catalogs to have been active at least from 1956-1960 selling at wholesale to camera stores, but otherwise at this point in time seem not to have left much of a documented footprint (general lack of advertisements, absent from directories, and not on the Illinois corporate database). This collection holds their 1956 and 1960 catalogs. TO SEE OUR WHOLESALE PHOTO SUPPLY CATALOGS NAVIGATE TO BINOCULAR CATALOGS #05 .

HEDLER (GERMANY)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS HEDLER BINOCULARS

FULL SIZE BINOCULAR BRANDS: HEDLER BINOCULARS

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INFORMATION: 1966 Hedler binoculars catalogs and brochures, WIPO Global Brand Database database Hedler Systemlicht USA/NEID LLC

Hedler was founded in 1945 as a photo studio and photo products distributor. Between 1961 and 1972 Hedler distributed slide projectors and Japanese binoculars to the German market, and probably to other European countries under the “Hedler” brand name. In 1976 Hedler received a German trademark # DE947142 for the Hedler logo (figurative & word mark) for NICE classes 9 & 11 as had been previously used on binoculars, but at that point intended for use on photo lighting products. By 1966 Hedler had retail locations in the German cities of Hamburg, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Franfurt, Stuttgard, and Nurnberg with a primary address of 200 Hamburg 74 Schiffbeker H ö e 22. In 1968 Hedler introduced forced air photographic lighting and after 1972 started to concentrate on those products, becoming the current well known photographic lighting equipment firm Hedler Systemlicht. This collection holds their 1966 catalog. TO SEE OUR HEDLER CATALOG NAVIGATE TO BINOCULAR CATALOGS #03 .

Man looking Through Miniature Binoculars
Homme observant avec des jumelles.
Mann beobachtel mit einem fernglas.
Hombre observando con binoculares

KOMURA LENS CO  (JAPAN)

SANKYŌ KŌKI K.K. / 三協光機㈱ (JAPAN)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS KOMURA LENS CO BINOCULARS

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRAND (OWNED) KOMURA LENS CO BINOCULARS

PRIMARY SOURCES OF INFO.: CAMERA WIKI ORG, US PATENTS & TRADEMARKS OFF.

Sankyō Kōki K.K. (also appearing on some documents as Sankyo Kohki), produced and distributed products (predominantly lenses) under the Komura and Chibanon brand names, at least as early as 1953. Sankyo held  US trademark # 72134157 for a Komura logo (for camera equipment) filed Dec 15,1961. At that time the company was Sankyo Koki Co, Ltd, 69 Kita-Inaricho, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan. By the mid 1970s, the company changed it's name to Komura Lens Manufacturing, Ltd. Miniature binoculars exist marked “Komura Lens Mfg Ltd”, made by TOA Kogaku, which appear to be from around the 1970’s. Miniature binoculars also exist marked “Komura”, presumably brand rather than company, and from when the company was still Sankyo Koki Co, Ltd,. The company became insolvent in 1980 and is believed not to have survived beyond 1981.   TO SEE OUR KOMURA LENS BINOCULARS  NAVIGATE TO PHOTO GALLERY # 11 .

APOLLO OPTIK GmbH (GERMANY)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRAND (OWNED) APOLLO BINOCULARS

PRIMARY SOURCES OF INFORMATION: DPMA/ Deutsches Patent und Markenamt, Standard and Poor, IP Australia, UK Intellectual Property Office, Wikipedia

Apollo Optik is a optical goods retailer, with emphasis on retail eyewear, currently operating in 40 countries, and claimed to be the largest optics co in Europe. The co held German trademark # 787085 for APOLLO for binoculars Sept 1963-June 2013 and Australian trademark # 242690 for APOLLO for optical instruments including field glasses Sept 1970-Sept 2025 and UK word trademark # 899304 for APOLLO for class 9 optical apparatus from Sept 1966-2001

CURRY & PAXTON (OPTICIANS) LTD. (UK)

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS: TBD

FULL SIZE BINOCULARS BRANDS: REGENT, ROSS, ZEISS, BINOCULARS

PRIMARY SOURCES OF INFORMATION: 1964 Curry & Paxton binoculars catalog, UK Companies House, Wikipedia

Curry & Paxton originated as a UK manufacturer of ophthalmic instruments and lenses in the Victorian period (1880’s), and by the 1960’s were a chain of opticians distributing eyewear, were noted for supplying the iconic cold war glasses Michael Caine wore in the 1960’s films Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and others. Like many opticians, they also sold binoculars. In 1964 they had 27 UK locations. In 1987 they merged into Boots Opticians. TO SEE OUR CURRY & PAXTON CATALOG NAVIGATE TO BINOCULAR CATALOGS #01 .

Photo cedit: Wikimedia

In the binoculars marking above the “ Z ” in circle is believed that of the export trading co Zuiho Optical Co Ltd, and the JB25 the code of the affiliated assembling manufacturers Zuihō Kōgaku Seiki K.K

1964 Curry and Paxton catalogue

EUROPE

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EUROPE

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      UK

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  WORLDWIDE

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UTS/ UNITED TECHNICAL SUPPLIES LTD. (UK)

United Technical Supplies Ltd. Of 29 Tottenham Court Rd London England was a purveyor of optical goods, barometers, microscopes, compasses, watches, and similar items from their store location and by mail/catalog. They were seen to advertise from around 1962 TO 1972 but were probably active earlier. As well as new binoculars and telescopes, they had war surplus binoculars and sighting devices, and watches, which was common in the UK binoculars trade in the 1950’s and early 1960’s prior to Japanese importation opening up. UTS apparently ceased trading Jan 1973. TO SEE OUR CURRY & PAXTON CATALOG NAVIGATE TO BINOCULAR CATALOGS #06

MINIATURE BINOCULAR BRANDS: (handled) NIPOLE (CHARLES FRANK) BINOCULARS , TOHYOH BINOCULARS

FULL SIZE BINOCULAR BRANDS: (handled) ROSS, BAUSCH & LOMB, BARR & STROUD, LINDERMAN, REGENT, WRAY, UNISCOPE, GREENKAT, MICRO CROWN, LUNA, BECK, SCOPE, JANIK

PRIMARY SOURCES OF INFORMATION :  UTS CATALOGS, LONDON GAZETTE JAN 19 1973