Zeiss-Opton Optische Werkstätte Oberkochen GmbH
1946 - 1953
In 1946 in the aftermath of World War II, the Zeiss managers and workers taken from Jena by the United States armed forces set up an optical works in Oberkochen in West Germany. The company at first was named Opton Optische Werkstätte Oberkochen GmbH. It was renamed a year later Zeiss-Opton Optische Werkstätte Oberkochen GmbH.
Zeiss-Opton was still a Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung enterprise and operated with the support of the Jena foundation in East Germany. An office of the foundation was set up in Heidenheim as Zeiss Stiftung von Jena.
In 1948, the German Democratic Republic nationalized the assets of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung in Jena. At this time, it was agreed that Zeiss-Opton Optische Werkstätte Oberkochen GmbH could market products to the Eastern bloc countries under the label of "Opton." The old logo, "CARL ZEISS / JENA" was now reserved for VEB Carl Zeiss Jena. Therefore the Zeiss-Opton firm had to make a new logo, "ZEISS / OPTON" within the borders of an achromatic doublet lens.
In 1953, the firm Zeiss-Opton Optische Werkstätte Oberkochen GmbH was taken over by Carl Zeiss (Oberkochen).