184 replies to this topic

[GARAZI64]

Very nice Pascal!!!

Il est vraiment complet.

[Kasmos]

I found some ads that pertain to the Lafayette versions of these 60/800mm telescopes

 

Here's a typical Lafayette ad from the 1955-57 period.

These ads only showed one scope and like many other brands this is a Ashai made scope.

It matches the early version of the Ashai scope in every way,

The side saddles on the tube, the focuser has no pull tube, the tripod hub,

and only 3 EPs were supplied.

 

This ad from May 1958 announces the new models which were now Towas.

 

Here's a close up of the Planetoid but it still has features that match the Asahi.

 

Note that the specs now state it has slow motion controls on both axis

and it comes with the 4 EPs that are associated with the Towa models

 

Another thing of interest is that the Polaris has the small black finder in this photo.

I've never seen an example with one, but the specs say it has the larger 6x30 finder. 

Edited by Kasmos, 23 August 2023 - 12:16 AM.

[Kasmos]

The photos in the Lafayette ad weren't correct until Dec. 1958

 

They were now inline with what it says in the descriptions

 

A close up of the the Planetoid now shows a typical Towa AT2 with it's slow motions and the long pull tube.

(it also looks like they placed the erecting prism into the star diagonal!)

 

The Polaris now shows a 6x30 finder as described and the mount's long springy controls

Edited by Kasmos, 23 August 2023 - 12:23 AM.

[Kasmos]

The ads above give a glimpse of what was going on with several of the brands that were importing telescopes in the 50s. When you go back to the mid 50s and earlier, those brands were selling 60/800mm Asahi made scopes. Then it appears around '55-56 Towa came out with the 'Look a Like' AT2 and those same brands started selling the Towa version instead.  We have examples of this happening with Monolux, Lafayette, Selsi, Sans & Streiffe, and Colonial. It's pretty obvious that Towa was undercutting Asahi's price by seeing ads like Lafayette's above that announces the new model with a $10 lower price. This appears to be the start of Towa's dominance of the lower priced telescope market. 

 

It's kind of odd. We've heard stories of the histories of other makers, but we really don't know anything about Towa. Will we ever learn much about them? As with others, did some employees from another company like Ashai jump ship and start it? 

Edited by Kasmos, 26 August 2023 - 04:06 AM.

[jragsdale]

It's kind of odd. We've heard stories of the histories of other makers, but we really don't know anything about Towa. Will we ever learn much about them? 

We need to find someone who speaks/reads Japanese who can really dig into company records over there for the Towakoki Factory in Japan in the 1950s. That would answer some questions!

[Kasmos]

We need to find someone who speaks/reads Japanese who can really dig into company records over there for the Towakoki Factory in Japan in the 1950s. That would answer some questions!

I've thought of it in the past and again after writing that post, that John Diebel of Meade is probably one of the people who's still around that would know a lot about Towa. Maybe more than anyone. After all, he married the daughter of Towa's founder!

[jragsdale]

I thought it would be worth putting these in the thread for documentation of this scope for sale in Langley, WA. A Tower branded Asahi Jupiter, 1956 according to the sellers.

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[jragsdale]

Export tag from the TOWER Asahi scope. 

(B7123 for search indexing)

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Edited by jragsdale, 07 September 2023 - 02:31 PM.

[semlin]

pretty solid dating there.

 

on appearance i would have dated the graphics in the instruction manual at early 1960s.

[Bomber Bob]

It's the only ASAHI that I have Registered as a TOWER re-brand...  Great Find!!

[flyboyu777]

I don't think the I-6 was owned by Kasmos, I think he came across the photo online and shared it here.

 

Here is another scope, an SPI from this thread: https://www.cloudyni...-6-nihon-seiko/. This was 11 years ago where they debated the Nihon Seiko similarities. Worth note is my wooden case on my Monolux I-7 had the attached stamp, if that means anything to anyone.

Nice Birdseye on that case!!!

 

Jim

[Terra Nova]

I’m really curious about what’s so compelling about this thread over countless others that has it pinned?

[Kasmos]

I’m really curious about what’s so compelling about this thread over countless others that has it pinned?

Maybe because the Old Towas had been discussed and miss identified so many times? 

 

The Asahis and the old Towas are fairly important in terms of the post war foundation of 60mm telescopes, but an alternative would be to put it in the 'Useful Classic Scopes Links'

Edited by Kasmos, 11 September 2023 - 02:05 AM.

[semlin]

i wish there were more threads like this stickied.  it would be good to have continuity of discussion on some other scopes as well.

[mpsteidle]

Serious question to all of you 60 lovers, what are you guys usually observing with these?  I have an old Japan made Celestron 60mm, and while its sharp, I dont ever find myself reaching for it over my SCTs or larger refractors.  Is there a particular use case where these things really shine?

[deSitter]

Serious question to all of you 60 lovers, what are you guys usually observing with these?  I have an old Japan made Celestron 60mm, and while its sharp, I dont ever find myself reaching for it over my SCTs or larger refractors.  Is there a particular use case where these things really shine?

Instant setup and great optics. Yes I use mine.

 

-drl

[Bomber Bob]

My SP-60L ain't just a purdy face -- I use mine when I'm in a mood to look at The Moon (it's too bright for my eyes in my 4" & larger scopes); and, double stars.  Does well in shoot-outs with my TS-50, too...

 

BIF:  I shoulda kept this Monolux 60x800:

 

 

A GW Steal -- had an Outstanding lens...

Edited by Bomber Bob, 14 September 2023 - 04:26 PM.

[jcruse64]

Serious question to all of you 60 lovers, what are you guys usually observing with these?  I have an old Japan made Celestron 60mm, and while its sharp, I dont ever find myself reaching for it over my SCTs or larger refractors.  Is there a particular use case where these things really shine?

I use mine for solar, and love it.

[jragsdale]

I thought this was worth adding. We talked already about the I-6, I-7 and I-8 models, but I just came across an SPI I-5 that I hadn't seen before. Are we to assume this is 1955? The serial number is lower than the other I-6 models posted so that makes sense.

 

https://www.facebook...632314847510830

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Edited by jragsdale, 27 February 2024 - 04:54 PM.

[Kasmos]

I thought this was worth adding. We talked already about the I-6, I-7 and I-8 models, but I just came across an SPI I-5 that I hadn't seen before. Are we to assume this is 1955? The serial number is lower than the other I-6 models posted so that makes sense.

 

https://www.facebook...632314847510830

I think it's safe to assume that. 

I could swear I've seen another one marked I-5 but don't know if it was posted or where.

 

BTW. Note the older style focus knob.

Edited by Kasmos, 27 February 2024 - 06:17 PM.

[aoirotukiko]

HI

 

After World War II, ASAHI OPTICAL accumulated capital as a manufacturer of binoculars and telescopes for export, and then turned into a camera manufacturer.
The company has a strong image as a camera manufacturer, and there is limited information on the manufacturing of astronomical telescopes, which was the basis for the company's restructuring.
In 1948, there was a total solar eclipse in Japan, and ASAHI OPTICAL made and sold an astronomical telescope (a cardboard tube).
ASAHI OPTICAL's direct relationship with Sears Roebuck & Company began in 1950.
We are exporting binoculars under the TOWER brand.
It all started when Sears Roebuck & Company opened an office in Tokyo.
Additionally, in 1951, binoculars were exported to Bushnell through TOYO JITSUGYO CO., LTD.
It is believed that astronomical telescopes were also exported through the same route.
 

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[T1R2]

Another thing, I'm glad you guys mentioned the I-7  I-6 thing as I've also seen that on 800mm and 1000mm scopes. Somewhere in all this mess someone mentioned perhaps it's the year. I was wondering the same. Maybe we've only seen the I-6 and I-7 because they didn't do it before and stopped marking them that way after 1957? It does seem like most scopes of this type came with a foil label came after '57.

 

As for foil vs ring spacers, it depends on what style objective cell is used. 

Cells-Side by side.jpg

The cell on the top has a metal ring spacer and all of them I've seen and kept photos of do

The cell on the bottom uses foil spacers and the same can be said of them

 

Cells800.jpg

Here's another shot of the cells

The one on the left is from my Crescent (marked Towa)

The one on the right from a Selsi and it came with only a unmarked Selsi focuser.

From the Lafayette ads it appears the cell style change took place in 1958

but I seen scopes that don't seem to follow this rule.

 

Don't confuse this Crecent's cell with most typical Towa cells.

It has a different retainer, it's lens placement is further forward and it's chunkier.

Stephan dated their use as being from 1959 thru '61

but as mentioned, some of the 1958 Lafayette ads show them. 

Crescent-T-Cells-Shields.jpg

Here, the Crescent is on top and the bottom is from my 1963 9TE

The '63 9TE type of cell probably wea first used in '61 or '62 and seems to have been used up thru the 70s.

The weird thing is some later Towas have a big fat clunky cell and it seems not to be completely tied to a year.

In the 2nd set of pics I have a 70's Vixen 80x1200 Polaris that had a lens cell like that on the left with a friction fit dew shield.

And my 1984 red tasco 60x800 Tanzutsu still uses the same lens cell as your bottom pic 1963 tasco, only difference is the two rings they machined into the dew shield for the later models. 

Edited by T1R2, 05 June 2024 - 03:04 AM.

[Kasmos]

Here's a puzzler that showed up recently in the ads thread that deserved to shown.

 

Typical old Towa?....

 

Not quite

Not only do the knobs look different in their proportions, but spanner screws?

I don't recall ever seeing the Planet brand, not to mention that Makers Mark!

 

 

 

 

[semlin]

kanagawa is a possible id on that "k" mark.  two weeks ago i didn't know they made anything but binoculars but it seems they made a balscope senior copy spotting scope model and they used a similar koc cartouche to mark it.  @misterdan identified the mark as kanagawa from a pair of zoom binoculars marked jb115 bearing the mark.   the binocular is from around 1960 and the spotting scopes first appear in the early 1960s.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/156148332341

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235338014489

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223384246971

[Bomber Bob]

Thanks for the info -- I updated the Registry...