Are Swift binoculars classed as Japanese? (1 Viewer)

I have only recently discovered this forum, and have really enjoyed the superb thread by Ed and Renze on the history of the Audubon.

I'm sorry if this sounds naive, but I understand that Swift is an old American company, but having read the thread I realise that the binoculars were designed by Tamron, and the prisms, lenses and the magnesium body all made in Japan.

Did Swift assemble the binoculars in America, or were they assembled in Japan?

We build Toyota cars in England, but they are made from Japanese components, and even though built by British workers they will always be a Japanese car.

I look at my old 804 Audubons in a different way now that I have read Ed and Renzes thread, I just wonder where they were born!

Clive.

Swift is a company with American origins, but its binoculars were made in Japan. Mostly by Hiyoshi Kogaku (Optical). That is the maker that corresponds to the J-B 56 mark you will see on the Audubon (front hinge).

I have a Swift Nighthawk that is marked either J-B 19 Fuji Kogesiha Co. or maybe J-B 191 which is either Seiwa Optical or Yoko Sangyo Co. Both the latter are listed as J-B 191, and that looks more likely than J-B 19. The stamp of the last letter is not a good one.

Thanks for replying Steve,

I now understand that Swifts were designed, manufactured and assembled in Japan.

Was the Swift name and logo used purely to sell more binoculars than maybe an un-recognised Japanese manufacturer would be able to do?

If the Audubon was actually designed in Japan I find it hard to see what role Swift played other than as a company commissioning a range of binoculars.

Clive

Sandy Leng said:

Was the Swift name and logo used purely to sell more binoculars than maybe an un-recognised Japanese manufacturer would be able to do?

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Sure, that's certainly how it would have started, dating from the days when Japanese products weren't as well thought of as they are now. And similar things still go on. Witness, as one of many examples, the Chinese binoculars currently being marketed under the old Barr & Stroud label, a now defunct but formerly highly respected Scottish optical manufacturer (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe B&S was a major supplier of binoculars to British forces in WWII).

Sandy Leng said:

Thanks for replying Steve,

I now understand that Swifts were designed, manufactured and assembled in Japan.

Was the Swift name and logo used purely to sell more binoculars than maybe an un-recognised Japanese manufacturer would be able to do?

If the Audubon was actually designed in Japan I find it hard to see what role Swift played other than as a company commissioning a range of binoculars.

Clive

Click to expand...

If you wish to start an optical company, and if you don't possess the entire series of manufacturing ability to go from mixung the glass to boxing the final product (and few do today), you will find various features farmed out. Swift's founder undoubtedly had some design expertise and likely the Japanese optical firm was producing binoculars based on Swift's design specifications. The other end of the spectrum, which is surely the case with some of the Chinese based products we see today, is that someone simply has a Chinese manufacturer put their name on an existing product. Some degree of having a unique design manufactured for you to a simple re brand of an off the shelf thing happens. What is important is the design and specifications that go into the binocular and of course the QC that goes into the binocular before it is boxed.

You (or I) could find some Chinese Optical Company to produce you a minimum order of a glass you liked, call Clive's (or Steve's) Optical Wonder and be in business. How well we would do likely is dependent on how we specified the technical elements of the desighn and our ability to exert enough QC to keep a consistent product that met user's desires.

Most companies today don't build their own product. Some have a more complete control of design and QC than others.

Sandy Leng said:

Thanks for replying Steve,

I now understand that Swifts were designed, manufactured and assembled in Japan.

Was the Swift name and logo used purely to sell more binoculars than maybe an un-recognised Japanese manufacturer would be able to do?

...
Clive

Click to expand...

Hello Clive,

The story is an interesting example of American capitalism that dates back to the early 1920s. In this instance the company imported and distributed binoculars to retailers in the United States. As is often the case, distribution rights for a given geographic area, such as North America, were established by contract in exchanged for a guarantee to import some quantity of instruments. The predecessor company Swift & Anderson (S&A) became Swift Instruments in 1960, at which time most or all of their binoculars were made in Japan.

I've attached a letter from S&A that spells out their role as a wholesaler of Hensoldt binoculars, which were made in Germany. The top roof at that time was the Dialyt Prismatic 7x50, which retailed for $120 (in 1932!). That would be $1969.93 in today's dollars — about the same as what a Zeiss would sell for today. Zeiss took over the Dialyt name at a later date, which became the famous ClassiC series.

It is my understanding that Swift Instruments actually did retain optical and mechanical engineers in the US and helped to design the final Japanese products for the company. Pyser in England obtained rights to import and distribute Swift brand products in Europe, and also had considerable discretion in finalizing the specs and markings of those products. They too had engineers involved.

Bushnell is a very similar company that was also a distributor of Japanese products.

Ed

Sandy Leng said:

...
If the Audubon was actually designed in Japan I find it hard to see what role Swift played other than as a company commissioning a range of binoculars.

Clive

Click to expand...

Although the exact details are lost to history, it is known that Swift (& Anderson) provided Tamron with the desired configuration for what was to become the 8.5x44 Swift Audubon. This was based on the recommendations of a cohort of ornithologists. In today's lingo, it was an "outsourced" engineering design contract. Swift also obtained a patent on the configuration, and it may be noted that it was never used by any other manufacturer worldwide. Even the later manufacturer, Hiyoshi Kogaku, never made an Audubon configuration for any other product line.

Incidentally, the original twist up eyecups developed by Hiyoshi Kogaku for the Model 820 Audubon was an absolute design failure. A German trained machinest named Nicolas Crista, who was employed by Swift Instruments at the time, came to the rescue and saved the product line. He was given sole patent rights for his eyecup invention even though Swift paid for it.

It ain't as simple as it may appear.

Ed

Thats really interesting information and a real eye opener. It seems that Hiyoshi Kogaku,the makers of one of the most iconic and unique binoculars available at the time are a name known only to binocular afficionados (such as yourselves).

As Ed says he believes that Swift provided the design spec. for Tamron to develop the Audubon. Wouldn't it be nice if we knew the name of the person that, probably sat round a boardroom table, said " I think we should make it an 8.5 magnification binocular "
It must have raised a few eyebrows, Tamron perhaps thought they were having a laugh! but we all know how well it works.

Maybe more details will emerge someday. I hope so, keep up the good work Ed.

Clive.