On March 31, 2023, Swarovski Optik, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-precision long-range optics, will receive the prestigious GOOD DESIGN Award in Athens for the CL Curio 7×21 binoculars in the Sports+Recreation 2022 category. Designed in an exclusive collaboration with world-renowned designer Marc Newson, the observation device combines exceptional optical performance with timeless, beautifully shaped industrial design.
Photo: Swarovski Optik
Every year for the past 75 years, the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design has presented the GOOD DESIGN Award for the most innovative product designs worldwide. The CL Curio was singled out for its unique combination of practical handling, straightforward design, and maximum visual performance.
A small technical marvel
The CL Curio 7×21 binoculars are truly unique in the world of long-range optics, especially when it comes to the seamless bridge design – something Newson, who is known for his reinterpretations of simple shapes, paid special attention to. His goal was to create “a very clean-looking result when the hinge was both opened and closed – a design problem that to my knowledge has not been solved before.”
Beautiful, romantic i timeless
The binoculars are available in two elegant color options – solid black and burnt orange with a silver bridge. The special design is meant to combine the beauty of nature with the optical and mechanical perfection that makes it possible to get a closer look. In Newson’s words, “There is an incredibly romantic aspect to this project because binoculars are timeless objects, and their function is akin to magic: they allow you to see things usually invisible to the naked eye. There are few remaining objects of this kind that still exist – a truly analogue device. Unlike many digital things, they are completely future proof.”
Press release
