So after some back and forth with Zeiss, they sent my email to an expert on old binoculars and I got an answer.
"Your idea that it is a Zeiss is correct. All the details are in accordance with Zeiss binos of the time between circa 1907 and 1916 and the presence of a fixing screw (Klemmschraube in German) at the lower end of the central axis as well as the brass material used for the cover plates and other parts are reliable "time markers". At the time around 1910 a Zeiss 8 x 30 was built in small numbers, but only 2....4 have "survived", so it can be sure that your bino is a Zeiss 6 x 30. At that time it was a very popular bino for civilian and military use; the lower fixing screw as well as the individual focusing indicates that is a military binocular. The "incriptions" were on the l/h cover plate: The Zeiss logo = the "Zeiss-lens" with Carl Zeiss / Jena and on the r/h plate: MARINEGLAS / Serial number / 6 x. These original inscriptions have been removed, maybe to hide the military origin of this bino, a procedure which is familiar to a bino collector.
The number 39927 is another "marker" for a military origin/usage of this bino. Today is known that in the time between 1914 and 1917 (including these years) Zeiss military handheld binoculars were - usually but not always - marked with an additional number, known among collectors as "rim numbers". The earlist ones are around 2000.....3000 and the highest around 300000. There is a correlation to the serial number but this is not fixed or constant. The significance or meaning of this military rim number is forgotten and not known today. But due to my private list of existing Zeiss serial numbers and rim number I can tell you that the rim number of your binos tells that this Zeiss Marineglas was made in 1915 and that the serial number was around 4727xx indicating a production year 1915. This year is in accordance with details of the other markers of this bino, i. e. the brass covers, the brass clamping screw and the brass axis.
I do hope that this information answers your question and tells you something about the history of your Zeiss Marineglas 6 x 30, which was, at that time, possibly one of the best handheld binos with 6 x magnification".
They also wrote that they don't service such old binoculars. But I must say altogether they were very helpful.
Seems like I'm going to have to make an attempt myself.
"Your idea that it is a Zeiss is correct. All the details are in accordance with Zeiss binos of the time between circa 1907 and 1916 and the presence of a fixing screw (Klemmschraube in German) at the lower end of the central axis as well as the brass material used for the cover plates and other parts are reliable "time markers". At the time around 1910 a Zeiss 8 x 30 was built in small numbers, but only 2....4 have "survived", so it can be sure that your bino is a Zeiss 6 x 30. At that time it was a very popular bino for civilian and military use; the lower fixing screw as well as the individual focusing indicates that is a military binocular. The "incriptions" were on the l/h cover plate: The Zeiss logo = the "Zeiss-lens" with Carl Zeiss / Jena and on the r/h plate: MARINEGLAS / Serial number / 6 x. These original inscriptions have been removed, maybe to hide the military origin of this bino, a procedure which is familiar to a bino collector.
The number 39927 is another "marker" for a military origin/usage of this bino. Today is known that in the time between 1914 and 1917 (including these years) Zeiss military handheld binoculars were - usually but not always - marked with an additional number, known among collectors as "rim numbers". The earlist ones are around 2000.....3000 and the highest around 300000. There is a correlation to the serial number but this is not fixed or constant. The significance or meaning of this military rim number is forgotten and not known today. But due to my private list of existing Zeiss serial numbers and rim number I can tell you that the rim number of your binos tells that this Zeiss Marineglas was made in 1915 and that the serial number was around 4727xx indicating a production year 1915. This year is in accordance with details of the other markers of this bino, i. e. the brass covers, the brass clamping screw and the brass axis.
I do hope that this information answers your question and tells you something about the history of your Zeiss Marineglas 6 x 30, which was, at that time, possibly one of the best handheld binos with 6 x magnification".
They also wrote that they don't service such old binoculars. But I must say altogether they were very helpful.
Seems like I'm going to have to make an attempt myself.
