Founder David Shen got his start in the telescope industry as a polishing technician and observed that the industry had a demand for more intuitive, user-friendly products. As a result, Sky-Watcher was launched in 1999 featuring a modest line of Newtonian and refractor optical tubes, with distribution in Europe and Asia. In 2000, Sky-Watcher released their first series of Dobsonian telescopes, and two years later answered the rising popularity of digital SLRs with their first version of the famed German Equatorial Mount, the EQ6. Today, with a full product line that includes Dobsonians, APO refractors, EQ mounts, and photography products, Sky-Watcher has grown into the most popular telescope brand worldwide.