(photos: Hammacher) The WWII Flakfernrohr | US$15,000.00 | www.hammacher.com
being gadget fanatics, we are equally intrigued by gadgets of the bygone era. after all, they did pave the way for the stuff we use today and we thank them for that. speaking of which, if you have a decor similar to that of the Chelsea Steampunk-inspired apartment, then the WWII Flakfernrohr, a vintage military gadget, could be a nice addition to your collection. for the uninitiated, the Flakfernrohr here is actually a pair of 10×80 flak binoculars that hails from the World War II era (sometime between 1936-1945). beautifully refurbished, this pair of working vintage optics were usually placed atop towering flak towers, working in sync with rangefinders and searchlights to direct anti-aircraft batteries to spot incoming Allied bombers. history aside, the Flakfernrohr features twin 80mm doublet objective lenses for wide field of view, large exit pupil for lowlight observation, a pair of 10x Erfle eyepieces, original serial number and wartime code as supplied by the manufacturer, and a gorgeous single aluminum cast body. the latter is something of a luxury back in those days. seriously, we don’t have the need to spot anything but our penchant for beautiful objects tells us that we don’t mind having a piece of the gadget that represents what we have achieved today – if only we have $15,000 to spare. yes, this pair of shiny optics is going to reduce your asset by a good $15k.
