The word "premier" suggests superiority. Yet this is a company that doesn’t do a lot of shouting or bragging. Fact is, our philosophy is more in line with the mindset of the expert marksman: Quiet, focused, self-contained - with equal parts certitude and humility. And, religious about precision.

Actually, that’s a pretty good description of the man who started it all. Bob Thomas earned his stripes as a master lens maker for the U.S. Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He made and repaired naval gun sights at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. After that Bob went on to manage a company called Perfex, which made lenses for the Norden bombsight.

The close of World War II found Bob repairing binoculars and telescopes brought home by U.S. servicemen. And by 1946, Premier became more than a lofty adjective. It became the name of a company that would grow to have a global reputation for quality, innovation and optical expertise.

Premier Reticles’ early work had as much to do with arachnology as technology. That’s because Bob Thomas made reticles out of spider web. Super thin filaments that were, by their very nature, capable of withstanding the recoil of powerful magnum rifles. Dots were added to these spider web crosshairs by means of specialized tools designed by our founder. Eventually, of course, spider webs gave way to glass fibers, and then to metal. These advances greatly expanded the range of reticle possibilities for Premier.

The company torch passed in 1978, when Bob Thomas died and left Premier Reticles in the capable hands of his son, Dick Thomas. Cut from the same cloth as his father, Dick continued to improve our technology with an eye toward ever more sophisticated optical instruments. The sort that ultimately captured the interest and loyalty of military marksmen, savvy hunters, and patient target shooters.

A major milestone came in 2005 when Premier was awarded the contract to manufacture the United States Marine Corps’ then-new Scout Sniper Day Scope: Certainly the strongest proof to date that the Thomas men—first father and then son—had indeed built a company of consequence.

That same year also brought Dick’s death, which hastened yet another passing of the family torch. This time to his son, Chris, who began learning the ropes when he joined the firm 13 years before. And who was more than ready to lead the company to still new heights.

Chris Thomas realigned the company’s resources in 2008. He recruited an entire team of German opto-mechanical engineers with an unquestionable scope making pedigree. This new consortium of talent is responsible for the breathtaking precision of the scopes you see offered here today.