7X50 Zeiss U Boat?

[tcmeeno]

I recieved these from a neighbor whose father brought them back from
Denmark after the 2nd World War. I know very little about optics and was wondering if they were really u boat as her father had said. The binoculars are very clear and precise to look through and the focusing works well. They came with case , two rubber eye cups and metal lense covers and a strap. Does anyone have an approximate value for these? Any imformation would be very helpful. ( I had to scratch off the over- paint carefully to expose the eagle.)
Thanks

[tcmeeno]

More

I think the serial no. was on the front of the collar onthe
center shaft it was 1652646

[AndyC]

Hi

This is a early pair made in januari 1935
Your binocular are for the Kriegsmarine and could be used also on boats


Andy

[48RMC]

very nice and desirable 7x50H binocular i would estimate the price around the 1200-1400 euros and maybe more if they are in excellent condition. Two years ago the same bino was offered on Ebay and was sold for i believe 1800 euros i think it was a little bit overpriced but this happens with greedy bidders as we all know. It's a fact those porro 7x50H CZJ are more uncommon then those 7x50 how are made by BEH (Leitz). Congratulation with your lovely goody
Christian

[Michael Downey]

You have done well. The binos, case and especially the rubber eye-guards are each very desirable in their own right and seldom encountered together. Are there any ink stamps inside the lid of the your case? A similar set (but with no rubber eye-guards) sold on eBay within the last week. The final bidded price demonstrated their desirability to at least as far as the two higest bidders were concerned.

[tcmeeno]

I took a pic of the inside of the case but see no markings. I did however
find two sets of eye caps one a green shade and the other a very light blue.
They were hiding in the bottom of the case ....goood I looked. Not being
an optics collector I wanted to ask how to tell if the optics were good or
bad on a set like this, is there any specifics to look for??
Thanks for your replies

[Mikedenmark]

A very nice Zeiss Septar binocular.

And the really weird thing, at least to me, is that if it was made in 1935, then it is noteworthy that it still sports the pre-nazi republican eagle marking.

At that time, I would have expected the Eagle + swastika combination.

The septar is a very nice binocular, but the design was flawed somewhat.
The mounting of the objective lenses was too thin, and that made it subsceptible to even slight dings. A flaw it shared with several binoculars from WWI.
However, it was very bright and had a very low weight.


The Septar can be recognised by the completely conical outer tubes. A redesign was done, making the "outer" end stronger with the objectives mounted in reinforced cylindrical mountings. And to top that, the rubber covered versions appeared.

A very nice pair of binoculars indeed. As a dane, I could wish that vet had taken home some danish meat instead. Leaving that bino to us.

The danish navy used the septar in submarines before WWII, and most likely, the germans did as well. However, in 1945, much better rubber protected models were available to the german subs, so I doubt that anyone would use this in a sub.

We did have about 200 german midget subs in training here in 1945, but even they would need something with rubber protection. An inspection officer from a testing facility might be present, and carry this. But not for front use.

Does it have a zeiss serial number anywhere? Like maybe above the the N marking. I think I see something there. Or maybe somewhere on the center axis.

If you want to try and remove more paint. then try very careful with a tissue with a little alcohol on, if the top layer of black paint can discolour the tissue after only one or two strokes.
Some of the paint available after WWII was based on alcohol, making the removal fairly easy and worthwhile.
The opriginal black paint underneath is ALSO based on alcohol, or at least responds to it. Only it responds much slower that the cheap postwar paint.

With care, the newest layer may be removed.

[tcmeeno]

I examined the binoculars closely and there is no number near the N.
What does the N stand for anyway? The number on the collar is
1652646. Also I think I will not try to get anymore paint off I will leave
that to the person who buys them (hopefully an experienced collector).
Thanks for the help everybody...MUCH APPRECIATED.

[11C]

I examined the binoculars closely and there is no number near the N.
What does the N stand for anyway? The number on the collar is
1652646. Also I think I will not try to get anymore paint off I will leave
that to the person who buys them (hopefully an experienced collector).
Thanks for the help everybody...MUCH APPRECIATED.

It has been suggested that the N refers to the area of operation. N for Nordsee or North Sea.

[Mikedenmark]

I am sorry. I thought the N - O markings was so well known they didn´t need to be explained.

N means Marinestation der Nordsee M.d.N.
O means Marinestation der Ostsee M.d.O.

Ostsee is german for the baltic sea.
Nordsee is the north see, or, for some, the eastern part of the atlantic.

Marinestation der Nordsee was in Wilhelmshafen, M.d.O. in Kiel.

Your N number means that this binoculars was on the inventory in Wilhelmshafen.
Wilhelmshafen was responsible for the large german wessels.
I am not sure if there were seperate uboat establishments in Kiel and Wilhelmshafen. Uboats operated from both ports.

The serial number you note, was part of a delivery, or batch of, no more than 500 of these binoculars. Made in january 1935, according to Dr. Seegers book.
The numbers shown by Dr. Seeger are maximums. Actual delivered number within a batch may be smaller. He has listed two in this batch, both marked like yours.