John, The s/n on that 8x32 Dialyt is 840303. $699 (£478) seems a bit steep. The s/n of my mint 7x42 Hensoldt Dialyt is 748605, + beautiful solid leather case (supplied by Foto Kaps of Regensburg) bought a few years ago; can't recall the price, but circa £200/250. Maybe scarcity has increased the value, meantime. The 7x42 has 140/1000yds fov (8') and weighs 580g, made between 1948 and 1963. As Kevin says, from 1964 Zeiss took on the Dialyt name for their top end roofs (later to become the ClassiC). Hensoldt had been operating since 1897 and from 1964 (within the Zeiss Group) made military optics. I have assumed my Dialyt is from the early 1960s; can anyone date it to the actual year? The optics are very good for a roof binocular made half a century ago, but (understandably) not quite up to (say) a Zeiss 10x40 BGAT* of the mid-1980s. It's more a collectable gem than a 'user', a prime example of the binocular-maker's art; however, like a classic car, I like to give it an airing on occasions, for the sheer pleasure of using something special.
I note the 8x32 from Germany ended on 27th February at E228 (£211/$307) which is probably about right, making the South African one seem somewhat expensive...
