Stéréo-Jumelle 8x E. Krauss & Cie Paris, S.G.D.G. (Carl Zeiss), about 1898

Stéréo-Jumelle or Stereo Binoculars, produced in a few copies by E. Krauss & Cie of Paris, under license from Carl Zeiss in about 1898, equipped with 8 magnifications.
The following information is engraved on the left eyepiece "Stéréo Jumelle Zeiss, 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". Underneath we find "Grosst. 8 Fois", which is the abbreviation of "Grossissement 8 Times" Magnification 8 times.
On the right eyepiece, on the other hand, there is information on the manufacturer "Eugen Krauss & Compagnie Paris" and the 3-digit serial number "XXX".
The particular manufacture of the Bakelite eyepieces, the interpupillary distance numbering system (ranging from 1 to 5) and the low serial number, makes us think that this binoculars are part of one of the first batches ever produced by Krauss.
This binocular was born from the extraordinary collaboration between 2 of the most important companies of the time which were united by the mutual interest aimed at the development and improvement of all optical instruments.
In addition, these binoculars represent a fundamental precedent for the optical-mechanical history: it was the milestone that sanctioned subsequent and extraordinary collaborations which led to the improvement of already existing optical patents for the purpose of further improvement.
The view is perfectly clear and collimated. All mechanisms work correctly.

History of E. Krauss:

E. Krauss was a French camera and lens maker, founded in the late 1880s. Founder Eugen Krauss was the brother of G. A. Krauss (Gustav Adolf Krauss). The company had a license to produce lens types of Carl Zeiss.
When Leitz named its 35mm camera it preferred "Leica" instead of "Leca" for not to collide with the name of E. Krauss' French "L´Eka".
In addition to cameras and camera lenses, Krauss produced Telescopes and Binoculars, many of them Zeiss models sold under license.