Binoculars Fratelli Koristka 12x "Marenostrum", Italian Royal Navy, circa 1917

Binoculars 12x Mod. "Marenostrum", produced between 1917 and 1918 by F.lli Koristka Milano, to be used by the Officers of the Royal Navy.

The left eyepiece plate shows the "12x" magnifications and the "Marenostrum" model. The right eyepiece plate also shows the "F.lli Koristka Milano" brand and the serial number.

Both on the body of the binoculars and on the case is the name "Casella della Torre" which, in all likelihood, refers to the Officer who was assigned to or who purchased it from the Ministry of the Navy: this procedure, which allowed Officers to purchase some models of Binoculars for military use, was well known since the beginning of the First World War and continued until the end of the Second World War. In fact, we learn from the "Official Journal of the Royal Navy" of 1933 pp. 271-272 that Minister Giuseppe Sirianni, attached to the Order Sheet of 8 April 1933, issued circular No. 2123 in which all Navy Officers were given the opportunity to purchase for 600 lire "7x50 Prismatic Binoculars" accompanied by a test certificate. This possibility is accredited by the fact that, despite being purely military binoculars, it bears the name of the soldier owner, a characteristic that would not be possible to find on a standard binocular owned by the Ministry of the Navy. The binoculars are complete with their original case with shoulder strap and are in excellent condition, the focus is very precise and the view is clear and collimated.

History of Koristka:

Francesco Koristka, of Polish origin (Silesian to be precise), after having worked in Vienna and being Salmoiraghi's assistant, set up his own business and founded it in Milan in 1881 (1880 is reported almost everywhere but in an old Koristka advertisement I found clearly written: F. Koristka S.A. (House founded in 1881) a company, Ottica Meccanica Flli. Koristka. It soon became one of the most important and appreciated producers of optical instruments (binoculars and microscopes), standing out for the high quality of the lenses mounted on their products.

During the First World War it produced binoculars intended for officers of the Royal Navy: the "Marenostrum". It also became the most important company in Italy for the construction of microscopes and one of the few Italian precision industries that exported both to Europe and America.

Thanks to his relationships with Ernst Abbe (1840-1905), Koristka had the opportunity to build microscopes and photographic lenses by exploiting the patents of the Zeiss company in the same way in which Krauss worked in Paris, but he also built lenses with original designs such as the telephoto lens Negri-Koristka, and subsequently the Ars, the Sideran, the Sagittal, the Meridian and the Proximar telephoto lens. In 1929 the F.lli Koristka company was absorbed by Officine Galileo Firenze, but continued to produce under its own brands for a few decades.