Swarovski Binoculars

Swarovski EL 10x32 WB binoculars

Swarovski Optik are renowned the world over for their excellence in producing the highest quality premium binoculars, telescopes and riflescopes.

Aimed at the professional or serious sports enthusiast, Swarovski often set the standard and produce some of the highest quality optical instruments incorporating highly ergonomic designs, functionality, versatility and optical excellence. This ensures that despite their relatively high prices Swarovski binoculars are still one of the most used on the market today.

Class that is Built to Last.
One of the principal ideas behind their quest for quality is that once you buy Swarovski binocular, you have a pair for life. A sign of this philosophy is that almost all their binoculars come with lenses that incorporate their easy-to-clean external coating that increases longevity.

Swarovski Range of Binoculars

Whilst from the outside, the Swarovski portfolio of binoculars looks to remain largely static, they do periodically update the models within each series.

Having said that back in 2012 they expanded their range and they now offer a larger selection of binoculars than ever before covering a slightly wider price range, although it has to be said all are still very high end products aimed the top end of the market:

Swarovski NL Pure Binoculars

Swarovski NL Pure 10x42 BinocularsIn July 2020, I attended the presentation where Swarovski Optik announced a new binocular and this was not just any new binocular, indeed they announced the new NL Pure as being even better than their iconic EL series instruments and thus over time should become their new flagship range!

Available in 8x42, 10x42 and 12x42 configurations, the major highlights of the Swarovski NL Pure binoculars include a striking new ergonomic shape to the barrels, an optical system that is similar to the EL that includes SwaroBright, SwaroDur and SwaroTop coatings, and I am assuming a new eyepiece arrangement as the fields of view are outstanding. For example the Swarovski NL Pure 8x42 binocular is listed as having a FOV of 477ft / 159m (ft/1000 yds / m/1000 m) which is truly massive.

Swarovski NL binoculars will come supplied with a neck strap, eyepiece cover, objective lens covers, carry bag, and cleaning cloth. Also included is a mini lens cleaning kit with a soap and brush.

You can also buy a very interesting accessory, a forehead rest attachment that is said to offer extra stability, which I feel could be very useful when using the Swarovski NL Pure 12x42 Binoculars especially:

Swarovski NL Pure 10x42 Binoculars with Forehead Rest Attached

More Information & Reviews:

For much more detailed information as well as photos, please take a look at the link below (reviews to follow as soon as I can get my hands on a pair!)

Check Prices & Where to Buy:

Swarovski EL Binoculars

Swarovski EL BinocularsEL = Ergonomic, Light
The most popular of their range are the Swarovski EL series binoculars that have been the benchmark of ultra-premium optics for a while.  There is no question that these are some of the very best.  Not many other binoculars can produce an image with the sharpness and natural color reproduction of the EL binocular.  The open-bridge design is a favorite for birders as they are lightweight and easy handle.  Included in their whole host of features is the easy to clean external lens coatings called Swaroclean making them not only simple to take care of, but longer lasting.  Swarovski EL binoculars also include the new SnapShot adapter for simple connection of a digital camera through your Swarovski lens.  Available in 42mm and 32mm objective lens sizes, the Swarovski EL could easily be the last pair of binoculars you will ever buy.

More Information & Full Reviews:

Check Prices & Where to Buy:
As you would expect from one of the best binoculars in the world, from one of the "big 3" alpha brands, Swaro EL binoculars do not come cheap. But that being said of you shop around, you can often make some pretty substantial savings:

Swarovski SLC Binoculars

Swarovski SLC 10x42 Binoculars SLC = Slim, Light, Compact
Swarovski SLC binoculars have recently undergone an upgrade and now includes the use of Swarovski's HD optical system. The range is characterized by their reliable and high-quality optics and tough construction. They now also feature the new easy to clean external lens coating called Swaroclean which makes it considerably easier to clean ocular and objective lenses. This is more important than it sounds as it means that they need less intensive attention to cleaning to to achieve maximum clarity, this in turn has the effect of considerably increasing the longevity of optics.

The whole range are well balanced and feel comfortable to hold and the attention to small details is impressive. For example there are thumb rests on the underside as well as depressions on the top side of the binoculars, that combined with the rubber armouring ensure they are secure and comfortable in the hand.

The wide range of models in the SLC series means that you can find a binocular for every purpose.

Sizes Available:

SLC 56 Binoculars

SLC 42 Binoculars

Swarovski 8x30 SLC WB BinocularsHuge Discount on Swarovski 8x30 SLC WB Binoculars

With a massive saving of $376.68 (29%) in the US and over £250 in the UK, now has never been a better time to buy a real quality pair of Mid-size birding binoculars, and you cannot get much better than the Swarovski SLC 8x30 binoculars. More Information:

>> Big Discount on Swarovski 8x30 SLC Binoculars


Swarovski CL Companion Binoculars

Swarovski CL Companion Binoculars Compact binoculars, that still offer an impressive performance, yet also at a competitive price point and make some of the best value for money binoculars in the Swarovski range.

Introduced in July 2011, the CL Companion models come in two different magnifications (8x30 and 10x30) and are available in three different colors: green, black and sand-brown (Traveler). Read my full review of the 8x30 CL Companion.

The distinctive new design of the new binoculars combines a modern look and feel with the compact construction and proven ergonomics typical of this long established Austrian manufacturer. At only 500 g (17 oz), they are the lightest binoculars in the premium class.

CL Companion Highlights

  • SWAROBRIGHT, SWARODUR and SWAROTOP coatings
  • 3 m (9.8 ft) close focusing distance
  • High-precision roof prism system with phase-corrected coating (P-coating)
  • Fully water, dust and fog proof.

Sizes Available:

Further Reading & Related Articles

Price Range

Depending on the model and where you buy them, Swarovski CL Companion binoculars cost about $950 / £730

Swarovski CL Pocket Binoculars

Swarovski CL Pocket Binoculars These high end compacts come with a water and fogproof body, small 25mm objective lens and the double hinge roof prism design that make these very compact, especially when folded for a true pocket binocular that can be taken anywhere.

Available in two different configurations (8x25 and 10x25) and are available in three different colors: black, green and sand-brown, the CL Pockets include many of the high end features of their larger siblings:

Main Features

  • Wide Field of View: 357ft @ 1000 yards
  • BaK-4, Phase Coated Roof Prisms
  • SWAROBRIGHT coatings
  • Fully Multi-Coated Optics
  • 17mm Eye Relief
  • Double Hinge Design - True Pocket Binoculars
  • Waterproof & Fogproof

Available Models

Further Reading & Related Articles

Price Range

Depending on where you get them and the model, the Swarovski CL Pocket binoculars cost around $800 / £600:

 
 
 

Where to Buy Swarovski Binoculars:

 


Swarovski Binocular Reviews

Below are a few featured Swarovski Binoculars that I have fully reviewed: View >> All Swarovski Binoculars reviewed


Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 Binoculars Review

Weighing just 17.6oz ounces and measuring 4.7 inches long by 4.5 inches wide, it's hard to believe Swarovski can pack so much of their renowned optical excellence into such a compact unit and make it just that bit more affordable, but they have.

Ideal for anyone looking for a premium compact binocular to take travelling, on safari, hiking, camping or to a sporting event, the CL Companion includes their legendary Swarotop & Swarodur anti-reflection coatings as well as phase correction and Swarobright coatings on the roof prisms producing an excellent high quality image even in low light situations.

Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 88%
Outstanding
Body Stats: 10/10
Optical Quality: 8/10
Optical Stats: 8/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 9/10


Swarovski EL 10x50 Swarovision Binoculars Review

The big brother of the extremely popular Swarovski EL range of binoculars, the 10x50 version offers the user some very interesting advantages over the more standard 42mm versions and makes for a very interesting choice.

There is no question about the quality, so in this mini review, I take a close look at these advantages as well as the draw backs and compare them to the other Swarovski EL binoculars that I have tested to see what kind of user and which uses these are most suitable for.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 93%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10


Swarovski 8x32 EL W B Traveler Binoculars Review

A lightweight & compact open-hinge magnesium body design combined with very high quality optical components and coatings that produce a view that is pretty much optically impeccable. There really are fantastic binoculars and definitely one of, if not the best mid-sized binocular on the market.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 92%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 9/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10


Swarovski 10x42 EL Binoculars Review

The legendary Swarovski EL 10x42 binoculars are a comfortable well balanced binocular with an exit pupil of over 4mm and a good 10x magnification. The feature fully multi-coated lenses, BaK-4 Prisms and are fully waterproof making them ideal for observing birds and other wildlife or sporting events from a distance especially in wide, open habitats.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 93%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10

These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: The Swarovski EL 10x42 binoculars are available at a discount on Amazon.com, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics in the USA
>> Check Prices

Swarovski EL 10x32 Swarovision Binoculars Review

The new Swarovision EL 10x32 binoculars combine the very best optics and coatings with a waterproof, lightweight and tough Magnesium open bridge body to produce one of the very best mid sized binoculars currently on the market.

Optical features include Field flattener lenses to correct field curvature, Phase correction and dielectric coatings on the roof prisms and fully multi-coated Swarobright lens coatings for a much better light transmission.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 95%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 10/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10

These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: The Swarovski EL 10x32 SV binoculars are available at a discount on Amazon.com, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics in the USA
>> Check Prices

Swarovski NL Pure 8x32 Binoculars Review

Like most good 8x32 binoculars these are very versatile and well-suited for a wide range of activities and viewing purposes.

But added to that you get an exceptional optical performance, a beautiful ergonomic design, the best materials & robust build, are these the best mid-size binoculars ever made?

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 95%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 10/10
Image Quality 10/10
Extras & Details: 10/10


Swarovski 10x32 EL 32 Traveler Binoculars Review

With a beautiful fine aluminium and tan finish the EL 10x32 Traveler binoculars are compact and lightweight making them ideal for travelling with. This combined with Swarovski's unique wrap-around grip also makes them easier and more comfortable to carry in the field. If you then combine this with the quality that only comes with a Swarovski binocular, a tough magnesium housing, tested under extreme conditions in the desert, Arctic and rainforest they also make excellent wildlife observation and birdwatching binoculars and so are one of the best binoculars in the world to take on safari.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: The Swarovski EL 10x32 Traveler binoculars are available at a discount on Amazon.com, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics in the USA
>> Check Prices

Swarovski 10x32 EL Binoculars Review

Because of their compact design and light weight, the Swarovski EL 10x32 binoculars are ideal for travelling with. This combined with Swarovski's unique wrap-around grip also makes them easier and more comfortable to carry in the field. If you then combine this with the quality that only comes with a Swarovski binocular, they also make excellent binoculars for birdwatching as well as wildlife observation and are therefore one of the best binoculars in the world to take on safari.

Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars
BBR Ratings:
Body Quality: 9/10 92%
The VERY Best
Body Stats: 8/10
Optical Quality: 10/10
Optical Stats: 9/10
Image Quality 9/10
Extras & Details: 10/10

These Binoculars are On SaleDiscounted Binoculars: The Swarovski EL 10x32 binoculars are available at a discount on Amazon.com, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics in the USA
>> Check Prices

View >> All Swarovski Binoculars reviewed on The Best Binoculars & Reviews website.

Swarovski Lens & Prism Coatings

Swarovski spend a huge amount of time, effort and money ensuring that all their coatings are perfectly applied as small errors can produce a big difference in image quality between binoculars. Dale Forbes, the Marketing Manager Nature of Swarovski Optik mentioned to me that "electron microscopic images of their coatings vs those of our competitors, is very enlightening".

They have four major groups of coatings:

  1. Swaroclean - helps keep outer lenses clean and easy to clean
  2. Swarobright - a highly reflective prism coating to maximise true reflection over the entire color spectrum, hence the true color output
  3. Swarodur - a highly durable anti-reflection coating on outer surfaces
  4. Swarotop - Another set of anti-reflection coatings that underwent a massive revolution in 2009 when they were applied to all internal lenses, helping to ensure maximum transmission and perfect color fidelity. The exact composition/structure of every Swarotop coating is uniquely calculated for every lens individually.

Swarobright Coatings

The newest versions of Swarovski binoculars boast that they have Swarobright, but what is it? Well in a sentence, Swarobright is Swarovski's own unique prism coating, designed for optimum color fidelity across the whole light spectrum.

So the next question is what is "color fidelity"? Well, the term “color fidelity” refers to the successful interoperability of color data, from image creation to output across multiple targets, such that color reproduction quality consistent with the user’s intent can be achieved.

As you can see the terms just get more and more complicated, I guess the most important question is, does it work. Unfortunately I have not been able to compare for myself a pre-swarobright pair of binoculars with the same model that has the Swarobright coating. But from research that I have done, the people that have reckon that the newer models are even clearer than the already excellent older versions. Below is an example, that I found on an optics forum:

"I once had a chance to compare three different Swaro SLC binoculars: pre-Swarobright, Swarobright with black body (transitional model) and Swarobright with green body.

While all three were pretty nice, the pre-Swarobright binoculars were not as good and I good comfortably see it.  Considering all the new binoculars introduced since then, I would not buy a used pre-Swarobright SLC for $800."

So how do you tell if you binoculars are the Swarobright version? Take a look at the color of the light reflected by the objective lenses, they will be greenish on Swarobright versions, whist will be purple in the pre-Swarobright binoculars You can also take a look at the first two digits of the serial number, if it is 68xxxxxxxxx or higher, they are the Swarobright version. Pre-Swarobrights binoculars from Swarovski tend to be more flare prone in difficult light.


Swarotop & Swarodur Coatings

These anti-reflection "multi-layered wide-band" coatings were developed by Swarovski Optik which they say combines the physical durability of a conventional anti-reflection coating with even higher levels of transmission.

This is achieved by vaporizing the glass surfaces of the prisms and lenses with exceptionally thin coatings that minimize reflections. Thus they are able to reduce surface reflection over the whole light-wave spectrum, which is usually about 4 to 6%, right down to 0.2% - producing visibly brighter images with much better contrast.


Swaroclean Coatings

A outer lens coating that according to Swarovski reduces the "energy on the surface" and makes cleaning them much simpler. So now cleaning both the objective and eyepiece lenses is much easier, especially when taking off things like water marks, insect repellents and tree resin. The overall effect is that the lenses require less vigorous cleaning which will significantly increase the life of your optics.

About Swarovski Optik

Founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895, they began life as a crystal cutting company.

Important Dates in their History:

  • 1895 - Company founded by Daniel Swarovski as a crystal cutting company
  • 1917 - They begin development of cutting & grinding tools.
  • 1919 - Tyrolit tool subsidiary is founded.
  • 1935 - Produce their very first binocular prototype
  • 1939 - Production of optical lenses begins
  • 1945 - Company launches its eyeglass lenses line.
  • 1948 - Company begins marketing binoculars.
  • 1949 - Launch of Swarovski Optik
  • 1960: - New production facility in Mexico City.
  • 1976 - Launch of Swarovski crystal animals.
  • 1977: - Launch of Swarovski jewelry line.
  • 1992 - New Stans, Austria plant.
  • 1997 - Tyrolit acquires Bay State/Sterling Company (U.S.A.).
  • 2000 - Signity joint venture.

Swarovski EL 8x32 Traveler Related Articles & Further Reading


Swarovski Binocular Repairs

If you have a problem with your product, Swarovski recommend that you do the following:

USA Swarovski Binocular Repair
First make sure you have your model and serial number handy, then call 800-426-3089 for the service repair department. They will then give you an order number and give you instructions on how to return your product.

If under warranty, Swarovski Optik will then carry out repair without charge. If not under warranty, Swarovski will give you an estimate of the cost of the binocular repairs. No repairs will be performed until they have authorization.

SWAROVSKI OPTIK
Service Department
Telephone: 800-426-3089
E-Mail: warrantyrepair[@]swarovskioptik.us

International Customers, including Europe
The initial advice from them is to take the binoculars to your local dealer or you can send the product directly to the factory in Absam. I personally would contact them first before sending the binoculars, the contact details are below:

If under warranty, Swarovski will send back your repaired bin at no cost to you. If the repair is not covered by the warranty, you will receive a cost estimate for the binocular repair before committing to the work.

Contact: Andreas Haider
Leiter Kundendienst & Reparaturen / Head of Customer Service Department
Telephone: 43 5223 511 6204
E-Mail andreas.haider[@]swarovskioptik.at

Contact: Verena Haidegger
Sachbearbeiterin Kundendienst & Reparaturen / Repair Service
Telephone: 43 5223 511 6191
E-Mail verena.haidegger[@]swarovskioptik.at

For more information on repairing binoculars in general and where you can get your optics repaired, take a look at my section on Binocular Repairs.


Swarovski Contact Details

Address:
General Wille Strasse 88
CH-8706 Feldmeilen
Switzerland

Telephone: (+41) 1 925 71 11
Fax: (+41) 1 925 73 12
http://www.swarovski.com

Statistics:
Private Company
Incorporated: 1895 as Daniel Swarovski & Co.
Employees: 12,600
Sales: SFr 1.99 billion (2000)
NAIC: 339911 Jewelry (Except Costume) Manufacturing; 333314 Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing; 333515 Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing

 

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