COMPASSIPEDIA
The Online
Compass Museum
The Online
Compass Museum
The Online Compass
Museum owns over 70 pocket compasses coming from many countries
(America,
Europe, China)| A ADAMS AIRGUIDE ANCHOR (north mark design): see HOULLIOT |
B BAMBERG BARKER BAUDET (go to BURNAT) BILAND BURNAT BUSCH |
C Chicago Apparatus Co. COLLIGNON-HOULLIOT |
D DEMARIA-LAPIERRE DENNISON DIXEY DOXA |
E ESCHENBACH ESL |
| F FRANCE (unidentified) FUESS |
G Glass, transparent compasses |
H HOULLIOT HUGHES |
I ISZARD-WARREN |
J Japan (s. Glass and X-No name) |
| K KEUFFEL & ESSER KREIS KRÖPLIN |
L LONGINES LONG NECK LUFFT |
M MC-1 (s. Marine Compass) MARINE COMPASS Co. MOKO MORIN MULLER & VAUCHER (M & V) |
N NARDIN NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA NEWTON |
O |
| P PASTO |
Q | R RUBERGALL RUSSIA / USSR (no name) |
S Schwab & Wuischpard (S & W) Scoutism SELSI SHORT & MASON SIMMS S-L (Société des Lunetiers) SPEAR |
T TAYLOR TERRASSE THALSON |
| U Unicus (The ~) U.S. GAUGE |
V VONIN VTD |
W WALTHAM WARTBURG WILKIE WITTNAUER WOTTON & SHERRY |
X NO NAME |
Y - Z ZEISS IKON ZUP |
 (Click for an enlarged view) |
The names
AIRGUIDE and Fee & Stemwedel are printed on the box (Click for a composed picture of several enlarged views) |
Technical
Data Needle type model no. 83 - Diam.: 2" (50 mm) - Thickness: 12 mm - Weight: 57 gr - Case material: aluminum The small coat of arms printed on the box contains the words: AMERICAN M...(ADE PRODUCT?) |
 Pictures courtesy Peter Ruge (Click for an enlarged view) |
Technical
Data - Diameter: 70 mm The large cut-out in the compass card reduces the inertia of the mass that the magnets have to move. The two blade-shaped magnets (each with a N at their Northern extremity) are very unusal. They are usually to be found only in large ships or aircraft compasses where they ensure a higher position stability. |
 Front page of a Barker's catalogue for the year 1926 |
 (Picture by Jaypee - priv. coll.) |
 Technical Data - Diametre: 45 mm - Depth: 15 mm - Weight: 73 g |
 Catalogue no. 3000 |
 (click on the picture for an enlarged view) This item has a floating card (like catalogue no. 3012, right) and a system to render the markings luminous at night (...) by burning 1/2 in. Magnesium Ribbon close to the dial in the lid but the same design as the catalogue no. 3000 (left) which has a rotating needle. Technical Data - Diameter: 35 mm - Depth: 15 mm - Weight: 65 g |
 Dial design called RGS pattern (see further down) |
 |
 |
 This item is similar to the one described p. 90 in the book TRADEMARKLONDON. Technical Data - Diameter: 43 mm - Depth: 16 mm |
 William Barker
(1858)
The maker's name is punched beneath the fleur-de-lys |
 "The Cyclist's" (1885
catalogue)
featuring a magnifying glass for easier reading of maps or lighting a fire... |
 "The
Glow Needle"
A variation of the design at right (combination with a radiant's dial). |
 The same reg. no.
(355639, Apr. 4, 1900) applied to the different versions, either with needle (pict.
at left) or with floating card (above). The letter N in red paint appears on top of
the radium square.
|
 |
 "The Hunter Radiant",
(dial pattern: Reg. no. 416645, see at right) |
 Three examples of
the dial pattern called "RGS pattern" (Royal
Geographical Society)
(explanation: see STEWARD) |
 Early version of the "Scouting" model with the cardinal points in red paint on the crystal |
 Two different markings of the maker's name: here on two lines near North and South (compare with picture at right) |
 .
Here, the maker's triangular TML logo is used like an arrowhead. |
"The Skeleton" (1855) |
"The Unicus" (1890-1930) Fluid
damped model, two versions:
- dia.
52mm, 10 srews, 1890-1905
- dia. 47mm, 8 screws, from 1905 onwards, std. Dennison case, RGS card pattern.  |
PROFILE
-
Otto BILAND was a Swiss manufacturer located in Saint-Imier (Sankt
Immer
in German). He founded his company in 1906. He received a
Gold
Medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Berne in 1914. The company
was listed in 1920, plus an ad for precision instruments, tachometers,
timers, speedometers, watchmen's watches and counters for cars and
aeroplanes. The letters N and S
on the needle were both entirely covered with radium paint.
The crystal has a metallic frame on which the marching angle arrow is attached.  The manufacturer's
monogramme: a-B-c (?)
|
 Punched on the lid:
the British Army's arrow and an upper case 'I' for India.
The holding loop is attached by means of a long transverse screw. (Click on pictures to enlarge them) |
Technical
Data - Diameter: 50 mm - Height: 8 mm - Weight: 43 g - Date: 1915 - Figures punched in the lid: 42 and 55. - Patent nos.: 76117 for France and 83025 for Switzerland (these numbers have probably been re-used because they now refer to vapour machine systems). Biland also filed a patent (no. 71472) for a map reader but we don't know whether it was ever produced: 
|
PROFILE - Former French manufacturer of instruments for
hikers (altimeters, podometers, etc.). The company's full name
was Baudet-Burnat (more information HERE).
Burnat filed several
patents. One about a new system to attach capsules in
compass casings. His
logo featured a map reader together with his initials H(enri),
B(urnat) and PARIS. He produced at least two different compass types:
the pocket compass
called 40 XT of which we only have a picture in the advertisement below
and a marching compass (see this category). Ad for
BURNAT
hikers' instruments in the C.A.F. magazine. (Click on the picture for an enlarged view of the compass) |
 Only the needle's shape differs from the one on the ad. |
This
transparent compass
with the only marking "BAUDET Made in France" on the case side was
produced at some unknown moment (1960's?). It was apparently a predecessor of the swivel-case model shown in the ad at left. Technical Data - Case material: brass - Diameter: 50 mm - Needle transit lock: Excenter in the loop fitting - Marching course mark: Plastic disk with a luminous paint dot and a lubber line.  |
  |
 (Click on the pictures for enlarged views) |
 BUSCH catalogue no. 3362 KARTENKOMPASS (Map compass), c. 1920-1930 Technical Data - Material: nickel coated - Transparent crystal bottom - Bar-shaped needle - Needle locking: remontoir-shaped excenter button - Diameter: 40 mm - Depth: 13 mm - Weight: 30 g |
 BUSCH catalogue no. 3346 Messing-Kompass (Brass compass) c. 1920-1930 |
 (Click on pictures for enlarged view)  |
 The leather pouch is made of two halves sliding
into one another.The loop is a full ring moving freely in the stud. Technical Data - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 11 mm - Weight: 27 g - Graduation: degrees on an elevated rose - The compass card is engraved on a silver-coated ground plate |
 |
 (Click on pictures for enlarged view) |
BUSCH catalogue no. 3348 "RADIA" (military compass) c. 1920-1930. This compass is identical with the LUFFT compass no. 1745 (see below). Since the BUSCH catalogue also offers BÉZARD compasses manufactured by LUFFT, we have good reasons to believe that this compass type was made by BUSCH and sold to LUFFT. Technical Data Compass rose, needle and marching course arrow are coated with a radium zinc sulfide mix and thus self-luminescent - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 10 mm - Weight: 44 g |
 |
 THE MUSEUM IS STILL LOOKING FOR SUCH A COMPASS OR AT LEAST FOR GOOD PICTURES (Click on picture for enlarged view) |
BUSCH catalogue no. 3350 Militär-Kompass (military compass) c. 1920-1930. Technical Data - Diameter: 50 mm - Depth: ... mm - Weight: ... g |
 (Picture Jeffrey
R. Adams)
|
 (Click on the pictures for
detailed views)
|
These
three compasses were offered in a 1949 catalog of hunters' gear. The
compasses' names The
Chief and The
Commander are obvious. The one called MILVAY
needs to be explained: MILVAY was the name of a C.A. Co. subsidiary
selling biological materials.
Its logo was a frog. C.A. Co. published also a
specific MILVAY catalog.  |
PROFILE - Former French company located in the Marais district
in Paris (more information HERE).
 |
 This compass in a sealed plastic pocket was part of the French aircraft crews' first aid kits in the 1950's. (Click on the pictures for
detailed views)
|
Box compass (see next row, center) A box compass with sundial is also displayed in the section SUNDIALS. 
|
A part
of Collignon's predecessor Houlliot's production c.
1900: |
 (Pictures by courtesy of Michel Collignon - click on the pictures for enlarged views) |
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