Binoculars 12x Voigtländer Braunschweig, Nirvana, circa 1906

12x binoculars made by Voigtländer Braunschweig, mod. "Nirvana", circa 1906.

On the left eye plate is the "Voigtländer Braunschweig" logo.

On the right eyepiece plate, in addition to the city logo of "Braunschweig" (the Lion), there are both the magnifications "12x" and the model designation "Nirvana".

In addition, there is the serial number "15955" which places it as produced in about 1906.

What makes these binoculars extremely fascinating is the fact that given their excellent construction (the body only in aluminum while all the rest in brass), Carl Zeiss, between 1907 and 1914, decided to put into production a binocular practically identical named "Telefort" with the same aesthetic shape and the same magnifications.

The view is collimated and clear, the mechanisms work properly.

Voigtländer Braunschweig was created in Vienna in 1756, the company took its name from its founder, Johann Christoph Voigtländer and initially produced optical instruments, intended in particular for microscopes and other scientific equipment. Among the first achievements are the Petzval type objectives, and others destined to become famous, such as the Collinear and the Heliar.

In 1840 he built the first camera lens, while in 1841 the first all-metal daguerreotype was developed. Subsequently it produced slab machines, built in a practically artisanal way.

In 1849 the headquarters were moved to Braunschweig, Germany, where shortly after Voigtländer & Sohn was born.

In 1925 it was bought by Schering AG. Later the Voigtländer directed the production towards cameras accessible to all, and this allowed it to remain among the market leaders until after the Second World War.

In 1958 it was bought by the Carl Zeiss Foundation and in 1972 it was renamed "Zeiss Ikon Voigtländer".

In 1973 the brand became the property of Rollei until the 1982 crisis.

At this point the brand was bought first by "Plus foto", which from 1980 marketed Voigtländer cameras produced by Ricoh and Chinon and then in 1995 by "Ringfoto", but this represents more than anything else a long period of darkness. Finally in 1999 there was the rebirth of the brand with the purchase by the Japanese Cosina.