120 http://www.africanhuntinggazette.com
A Hunter speaks out
Crystal colossusSwarovskibringsto huntersviewsandsightpictures as clear as,
well, crystal.
WhatAustriaOffersAfricaByWaynevanZwoll
Two women make the most of waning Namibian light with a steady shot through Swarovski optics.“I
t’llweara Swarovski3-9x36,”I said.
Patricklookedatmeasif I’dgrown
four ears. Of myriad scopes that
mightgracea fineHolehancustomrifle,this
modest,agingsightseemed,well...
“Odd.” The gun-maker shrugged. “I
thoughtyou’dtopit withmore...”
“Power. Sophistication. Save that for
otherclients.You’regivingthis.25-06lithe,
classiclines.Whyspoil‘emwithheavyglass?
That3-9x weighs 12 ounces.Itsitslow.It’s
opticallybrilliant...”
“OK,OK.”Holehanwavedmeoff.“Iget
it.”
Hedid.Likeotheropticsfirms,Swarovski
now peddlesscopes thatdoeverything but
perk your morning coffee. Charitably, it
humorshunterslikemewho findsolacein
earlier,simplersights.InAfrica,thisAustrian
namepopsupwherevercampfiresbringout
theAmarula.
Companyrootsdateto1883,whenDaniel
Swarovski, then living in Czechoslovakia,attendedanindustrialexpositioninVienna.
Thatvisitinspiredhimtodevelopa crystal-
cutting machine. In 1895 he founded the
Swarovski enterprise for making crystal.
Hebuilta factoryintheTyroleanvillageof
Watten,chosenforitsabundantwatersupply.
A plant in Absam, established in 1948 to
manufacture eye-glasses, grew fast. Within
sixmonthsit employed 150 people.Thenext
year Swarovski came out with its Habicht
(hah-beesh, hawk)7x42binocular. An8x30
Habichtfollowedin1952,a 10x40in1954.
These binoculars were marketed only in
Europe.
Swarovski's first rifle-scope, a 4x32,
appearedin1959.Threeyearslatera second
opticsfactorysprangupinVienna.In 1965
engineersfromMillerBrothers,Ltd.movedits
“precisionmechanics”shop fromInnsbruck
totheAbsamfacility.Innovationbecameas
importantas productionoftraditionaloptics.
The SL 7x42 binocular, unveiled in 1979,
was built “from inside out,” its shell moldedaround the lenses. By year end Swarovski
ownedtheMillerfactory,anditspayrollhad
grown to 700. The Habicht series arrived
stateside in 1983. Seven years later the
companyestablishedSwarovskiOptikNorth
America, or SONA, in Cranston, Rhode
Island. UnderSONApresident Jim Morey,
Swarovskigrewitsmarketshareworld-wide,
promotingitsproductsaggressivelyinAfrica.
Safarithemesdrewattentiontothebrandat
huntingexpositions.
Designchangesfolloweda focusonU.S.
sales. Swarovski refused to compromise
qualitytotrimprices;butit didadd1-inch
alloy scope tubes to its line, and quarter-
minute windage/elevation “clicks.” Also, it
movedscopereticlestothesecond(rear)focal
plane.“The1-inchAVscope,builtspecifically
fortheAmericanmarket,drovesalesup 48
percentinoneyear,”Moreytoldme.Demand
for 3-10x42 and 4-12x50 scopes was so
strong, Swarovski “lost another 20 percent
of sales in undeliverables!” Meanwhile,