Vintage Optical Equipment

Description

The original of this design stated “Made In Occupied Japan”. It was manufactured under the Marshall Plan and was sold here in the USA under the Bal-Mor name. Unfortunately every last one I had went to Japanese visitors during the 1990s.

Here are two later versions of this instrument, neither has been restored. The outline on the one on the left is identical to the Bal-Mor, and this is most likely a second-generation unit. It says Tokyo on it, which means it’s the company which would later evolve into Topcon, Tokyo Optical.

The one on the right is a much later version, called the Compacto. It’s from the mid to late 1950s. It states Made In Japan for Optical Import Company, Bellingham, Washington. Both versions also use the European target of dots.