Military Stéréo-Jumelle 8x20 E. Krauss & Cie Paris, S.G.D.G. (Carl Zeiss), circa 1898

Stéréo-Jumelle or Stereo Binoculars, produced in a small number of copies by E. Krauss & Cie of Paris, under license from Carl Zeiss in around 1898, equipped with 8 magnifications and 20 mm objective lenses.

On the left eye plate are engraved the following informations: "Stéréo-Jumelle Zeiss N° XXXX Bté S.G.D.G." where "Bté" means "Brevetè" or patented and S.G.D.G. is the abbreviation of "Sans Garantie du Gouvernement" or "Without Government Guarantee".

The information relating to the manufacturer "Eugen Krauss & Compagnie Paris" is shown on the right eye plate.

On the body of the binoculars there are 2 plates which allowed the observer to calculate the distance: this was possible thanks also to the aid of the "horizontal line" reticle present in the right eyepiece. In fact, through this reticle, with the help of the horizon line, it was possible to calculate the distance at which the target to be hit was.

These binoculars were born from the extraordinary collaboration between 2 of the most important companies of the time which shared an interest in the development and improvement of all optical instruments.

In addition, these binoculars represent a fundamental precedent for optical-mechanical history: it was the milestone that sanctioned successive and extraordinary collaborations which led to the refinement of already existing optical patents for the purpose of further improvement.

View is perfectly sharp and collimated. All mechanisms work properly.

History of E. Krauss:

E. Krauss was a French manufacturer of cameras and lenses; company founded in the late 1880s. The founder Eugen Krauss was the brother of G. A. Krauss (Gustav Adolf Krauss). The company had a license to produce Carl Zeiss type lenses.

Leitz called his 35mm camera "Leica" instead of "Leca" so as not to collide with E. Krauss' French name "L'Eka". In addition to cameras and lenses, Krauss produced telescopes and binoculars, many of these sold and manufactured under license from Zeiss.