AllBinos.com

Alongside the production of 6x30 and 7x42 models Swarovski Optik engineers worked on a construction plan of a new wide angle eyepiece which they could examine in binoculars of bigger magnification factors. The works ended with a success and, as a result, they designed a 6-element eyepiece with lenses put in three groups (2+2+2) and an impressive field of view, reaching 68 deg. It was used to offer two new pairs of binoculars: 8x30 and 10x40.

Optical design of the Swarovski Habicht 10x40 W binoculars, showing the new 6-element wide-angle eyepiece, which was also used in the 8x30 W model.

Like in case of the 6x30 and 7x42 instruments the new binoculars were offered with a central focusing wheel (capital M in the name, from the German word Mitteltrieb), or with individual focusing on each eyepiece (capital O in the name from German Okular-Einzeleinstellung).

Both variants of the 8x30 model provided a field of view of 8.5 degrees. The catalogues from those times didn't provide an eye relief distance but we know that it was short, reaching just 10-12 mm. The binoculars were relatively lightweight; the M variant weighed 505 grams and the one with the O letter – 485 grams.

Please Support Us If you enjoy our reviews and articles, and you want us to continue our work please, support our website by donating through PayPal. The funds are going to be used for paying our editorial team, renting servers, and equipping our testing studio; only that way we will be able to continue providing you interesting content for free.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - R E K L A M A - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Excerpt from a 1952 Swarovski Optik catalog featuring the Habicht 8x30 model in central focusing (M) and individual focusing (O) versions. Source: Presentation by Gijs van Ginkel.

The 1952 catalogue provided prices of these models and they amounted to, respectively, 1395 shillings and 1305 shillings. According to historical data of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) an average salary of an industrial worker amounted to about 900-1100 shillings gross; qualified workers and clerks could earn 1200-1600 shillings a month. The cost of purchase of such a pair of binoculars was comparable to an average monthly income.

Swarovski Habicht 8x30 M DV binoculars.

Another important change that happened in 1952 was the different font used for the Habicht word on the barrel of the left prism - the producers decided to use a more ornamental cursive. Below you see DV letters, also from German, that stands for Doppelvergütung so a double anti-reflection coating. In those times simple, single coatings, usually made of magnesium fluoride and providing a blueish hue, were a standard. Swarovski was one of the first producers that introduced double anti-reflection coatings.

DV letters on the barrel informed a future user that this pair of binoculars, compared to their standard rivals, was able to offer you a much better transmission of light, a better contrast, and reduced inner reflections. Images provided by those models also featured a very characteristic, slightly amber hue.

Markings on the prism housings of the Swarovski Habicht 8x30 M DV binoculars manufactured around 1953. Source: Online auction.

During this period the production of Swarovski Optik binoculars noticeably increased – among the workhorses you could list the 7x42 models, as their production volume amounted to 13000 of pieces, the 8x30W models, with the production volume of 11000 and about 9000 pieces of the 6x30 models.

Serial numbers were put on the right side, under the parameters of the binoculars. They consisted of 5 digits and for the 8x30W model they ranged from 101XX and 209XX. Even lower you found a simplified version of the Swarovski logo.

Despite an increase of production many things in the Absam factory were done by hand. It's enough to take a closer look at the inscriptions on the barrel of the prisms. They are slightly uneven, differing from one specimen to the other.

Swarovski Optik brochure from 1952/1953. Source: Swarovski Optik.