WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM'S LOBBY 

"The magnetic compass was the first technological invention after the wheel to change the world."
Amir D. Aczel, in The riddle of the compass


Aeronautical Compasses
Nautical Compasses
Marching Compasses
Wrist and Pin-on Compasses
Survey & Artillery Compasses
Escape Compasses
Pocket Compasses
Sundials
Other Compasses
(jewelry, watches and objects for everyday use, galvanometers etc.)
Religion &
Esoticism
The exhibits are allocated to ten* different categories depending on their function. To visit a specialised department, just click on the picture of the relevant category. You can also use on all pages the pull-down menu button COMPASS TYPES. Clicking on the button SEARCH will lead you to the instruments via the manufacturers' names or technical words (example: miner's compass). The five chapters under MISCELLANEOUS are also being completed on a weekly basis.

* The pin-on lapel compasses are displayed together with the wrist compasses because of their very limited occcurrence.

Copyright: The content of this Website is covered by Copyright OCM 2008-2012 and access to this website is subject to the OCM (COMPASSIPEDIA) Disclaimer.
THE CURATOR'S NEWS LETTER
(Jan. 2012)
Dear visitors,
We thank all those who steadily help building up what is becoming the largest reference data base worldwide for all sorts of compasses by sending us pictures and/or technical and historical information. 
The Paypal donation button makes it easier for you to help keeping this museum alive (see left). 

Discover our new items:

- MARCHING comp.: two very rare Bézard compasses: a Turkish Ottoman one and a Swedish one with 6300 mils div., two instr. used in ISRAEL's Army Tsahal and an OMI-signed Mk III of Saudi Arabia's Army, two LYTH-signed instruments, a German TRIUMPH with its tools and last not least: a Pöferlein-signed romer scale.

- SURVEY: one of the very few prismatic compasses made in 1811 by Th. JONES for H. KATER before Schmalcalder patented his well-known improved system, compasses made by the German-Polish maker GERLACH, the Austrian maker GANSER, the French Peigné-like LEZY, a military trough compass signed STEWARD and a Czech SRB & STYS.

- NAUTICS: antique sighting systems signed PLATH and a military divers system signed LUDOLPH.

- WRIST compasses: a WWII DOLLOND- signed with service pattern dial and an unsigned one with SINGER's pattern.

- WATCHES: one with a CYMA -signed mechanism and an islamic QIBLA watch showing the direction of Mecca for the prayers.

- POCKET comp.: a British STEWARD, a German Domatic/TfA and a U.S. made THALSON. 

- DOCUMENTATION: an antique French Classroom Poster.