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Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. WEBSITE MUSEUM |
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OTHER BINOCULARS #6 & OPTICAL SIGHTS (MOSTLY MILITARY) |
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Taylor Optical Factory Manufactured 7x35 Cutaway Binoculars |
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WANTED TO PURCHASE FOR THIS MUSEUM: FACTORY CUTAWAY BINOCULARS. Contact miniature.binoculars@gmail.com |
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My Taylor Optical 7x35 binoculars are a salesman sample or trade show factory cutaway custom machined in a way to show off it’s various internal components. |
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Having worked in engineering and marketing in a lock manufacturer, gun manufacturer, and also as a manufacturer’s rep, including involvement with trade shows, sales meetings, and distributor meetings: I have been involved in the creation and use of cutaway products to show functioning internal mechanisms. Always rare and produced in small handful quantities, these were a visual way to promote new internal features before the advent of video, and were used as show, sales samples, or as engineering or training tools. Their design was always an engineering/ model shop challenge, and having also worked for a year as a lead machinist, I appreciate the challenge of milling while preserving all functions. I do have a large collection of cutaway padlocks, and collections of cutaway guns, locks, door closers, binoculars, and other cutaway sectioned items, plus clear case prison approved electronics. I personally always find all these clever and interesting. |
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Leitz Wetzlar WWII Bulgarian Military Cutaway Sectioned 6x30 Bidox Training ot Instructional Binoculars |
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My E. Leitz Wetzlar 6x30 Bidox cutaway sectioned binoculars were obtained from Bulgaria. and were used in the Bulgarian WWII training program of military optical technicians. With WWII military mobilization, no country had enough binoculars or other military optics. Countries with existing binoculars and military and civilian optical manufacturing industries such as the US, UK, Japan, Germany and France expanded them and in many cases established new factories. They also used civilian requisitioned binoculars. Since those countries had no binoculars to spare for export, some other countries like Chile established new military optical industries. Most countries established military binoculars repair programs, and the Bulgarian program used cutaway sectioned binoculars for training technicians. The ocular is in a hand removable state (with one missing), rather than being in it’s normal captured fixation, which is likely for a hands on training creation where people are going to remove parts. The prisms are clearly pencil marked with settings, compatible with training in adjusting prisms, and commonly done in production. Leitz Bidox binoculars were produced from 1927-1953. The serial number of these Bidox binoculars seem to be outside of the normal expected serial number range of Leitz Bidox binoculars (greater) for unknown reasons. |
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1917-1918 U.S. Navy Bureau of Navigation, U.S. Naval Gun Factory Optical Shop Annex Produced 10x45 Military Binoculars |
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The U.S. Navy Bureau of Navigation existed from 1862-1942, with activities ranging from charts, navigation research & instruments to Navy personnel management and assignment. The U.S. Naval Gun Factory Optical Shop Annex in Rochester NY was a WWI U.S. government owned manufacturer formed by the Dec 1917 by the U.S. Navy forced seizure of the Crown Optical Co. (a lens and binoculars manufacturer located at 203 State St., Rochester NY). The justification published by the Navy in 1918 was that the Crown Optical Co. had large US military and British military government contracts to produce binoculars, and that by commandeering (nationalizing) the facility, and by turning it into an annex of the Washington Navy Yard, the Navy could take over and force faster fulfillment of those contracts. (See my listing of Crown Optical Co’s UK & US binoculars contracts with my Crown Optical Co British military binoculars below). The Rochester Optical shop annex factory was closed down in 1919, soon after war’s end, and all of it’s equipment and it’s US Navy personnel were sent to building 157 of the Washington Navy Yard. My pattern of 10x45 Navy binoculars would have normally been shipboard equipment for bridge , flag officers, and lookouts. |
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WWI British Military 6x30 Binoculars Produced Under Contract by Crown Optical Co , Rochester, New York USA, Prior to the 1918 Takeover of That Company by the US Navy |
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The Crown Optical Co. was formed in 1906 as a US lens and binoculars maker, and had WWI British military contracts for binoculars including #B750-579W of 7/15/16 ($350,000) and B1264-1015W of 5/14/17 ($350,000), and US military contracts for binoculars including a 4/22/17 contract to the Navy for 1,000 10 power binoculars which was probably the contract for the binoculars above ($110,000), and #1573 of 8/21/17 ($750,000). According to the U.S. Navy Dept of Ordnance publication, the Crown Optical company was commandeered by the Navy Dept on Dec 15, 1917 to become the U.S. Naval Gun Factory Optical Shop Annex. If you issue a contract for nearly $16 million (2021 dollars) and 3 months later seize the co. and don’t have to pay ...is that a planned fiscal scheme??? My Crown Optical Co 6x30 binoculars #9518 carry UK military broad arrow property marks, and were presumably from either the 1916 or 1917 UK contracts. These have external prism collimation screws (this pair needed collimation). Obtained in the UK. |
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Pull Out Objective shields |
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Wheel for yellow ocular filters |
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Serial #4152 |
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Facing Broad arrow British military disposal mark |
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Broad arrow British property mark |
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RAAF- Royal Australian Air Force Schutz Ruf & Co . Kassel Uranos 6x50 Military Binoculars |
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My Royal Australian Air Force issued binoculars were made by the German firm Schutz Ruf & Co. in Kassel Germany, and are the Uranus 6x50 model, and they carry the “ Melbourne ” marking seen on some other Australian imported Schutz Ruf & Co binoculars. The similar later post war pattern of Schutz Uranos binoculars appears in the Schutz catalog in our website catalogs section, as seen left. Supposedly a marking “ Schutz Ruf & Co Kassel indicates a manufacturing date between 1926 and WWII. The meaning of the “ TNH Steward ” marking is unknown. The RAAF binoculars were probably not produced in large quantities. |
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“Schutz Ruf & Co. Kassel TNH Steward” |
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“Uranus 6x50 Melbourne” |
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Royal Australian Air Force mark “RAAF”. |
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1941 WWII Royal Air Force British Air Ministry 6x Watson Baker Military Binoculars |
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WWII beh Leitz German 7x50 Kriegsmarine Naval Military binoculars with Interesting History |
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My beh Leitz “ M ” Kriegsmarine marked 7x50 poro II binoculars were obtained in Gibraltar and brought home to the UK by Kenneth Douglas (Doug) Williams, who was in a British military intelligence unit 1945-1946. The Kriegsmarine vessels that surrendered to British forces in Gibraltar and created much excitement were German submarines U-485 and U-541, which surrendered on May 11 & 12 1945. Military intelligence would have had priority access to the subs to examine logs, records, codes, orders, com. gear, and new equipment. Both U-boats would have had some quantity of binoculars like these, and all the binoculars would have been grabbed for reuse or as a high desirability souvenir. As a youngest member of the group, one of the senior officers might well have given binoculars from one of the subs to Doug to bring home. Yes: purely speculative, but is also entirely plausible and logical. Thanks to Les Ong & relatives of Doug Williams for assistance in documentation ! |
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Submarine U-485 or U-541 surrendering at Gibraltar. Courtesy of Imperial War Museum: research & not for profit educational use |
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©IWMA 29166 |
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Kriegsmarine use |
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Doug Williams in Gibraltar 1946 |
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“M” is Kreigmarine mark |
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“ beh ” is Ernst Leitz. “ (T) ” is Transparenzbelag (bloomed), “ KF ” is K ä lte-Fett (cold weather lube) |
