The Online Compass Museum displays its own collection of some 200
different wrist compasses from many countries (USA,
Great-Britain,
France, Germany, USSR, Japan, Finland etc.), made for civilian or
military
use on land or under water. Pin-on lapel compasses are also displayed
here because of the very low quantity and variety.
Pict.
at right: a part
of our collection
A
ADMIRAL
ADRIANOFF
(in Russian: Компас
АДРИАНОВА,
Adrianoff's compass)
AIRGUIDE
AK-39
(Kadlec)
ANAPACE compass
AQUA-LUNG
AQUASTAR
ASKANIA
ATCO
AURKKA
(Red Army,
AYPKKA in cyrillic letters)
|
B
BARKER
B.E.N.
BÉZARD
BEUCHAT (see B.E.N.)
BLACKER type (see Creagh-Osb.)
BÜCHI
|
C
Canada
(location)
CEBEP синий
(see UOMZ)
CEMEHOBA (see SEMIONOFF)
Ch-Ch-Z
(ЧЧЗ in cyrillic letters)
CHETWYND
Chicago
Apparatus Co.
China
(PRC) Vietnam, Vietcong
COCHRAN
COLLIGNON-HOULLIOT
CREAGH
OSBORNE
CRESSI
|
D
DACOR
DINSMORE
Divers'
compasses
DOLLOND
DOXA
DRÄGER
E
ESCHENBACH
|
F
FARALLON
FEE
&
STEMWEDEL
FEP
(ФЭП in Russian)
FPM
- Freiberger
Präzisionsmechanik
|
G
GEODEZIA
(Геодезия, in cyrillic letters)
GUGK
(ГYГK in cyrillic letters)
|
H
HAND
Hat Compass
HEALTHWAYS
HEINKE
HOROSWISS
Hunting
Compasses |
I
IKELITE
INDIC
J
JAPAN
jlr (see Kadlec)
JUMBO
|
K
KADLEC
KA-Y
KELVIN
KIPZ
(КИПЗ in cyrillic
letters)
KNM
(KHM in cyrillic
letters) |
L
Lapel compass (see Pin-On comp.)
L-1 (s. US Gauge)
L 10 (see Kadlec)
LEMAIRE
lhx (see KADLEC / vz.53)
LIDER
(Лидер in cyrillic letters)
LK
10, LK 30 (Kadlec
compass)
LK-34 (see Kadlec / PAL)
Canada
(location)
LONGINES
LUFFT
LYNX
|
M
MARBLE'S
MARES
MARINE
COMPASS Co.
MARINER (see HEALTHWAYS)
MARVEL
MC-1 (s. Marine
Compass)
M-Ch-Z (MЧЗ in
Russian)
MEGA SPORT
MERIDIAN
MIKROTECHNA
MOSCOMPASS
MOSER & Cie
Muller & Vaucher
(M&V)
|
N
NEMROD
NEPTUNE
Nesco
(Japanese mfr.)
Night
hawk
NO
NAME - FRANCE
NO
NAME
- GB / USA
NO
NAME - GERMANY
NORMARK
NVA (former
East German Army) |
O
OCEANIC
Orienteering
ORIENTSUB
P - Q
PAL / LK-34
PANERAI
PASTO
PB-65 (s. Mikrotechna)
PHYSIKA (see Suunto)
PIF
(French
cartoon and gimmick)
Pin-on
Compasses
PL-40 (s. Mikrotechna)
POINTER |
R
Radium,
luminous paint
REISCHER
RGS
(F. Barker & Son)
ROLEX
Royal Navy Divers (see NO NAME-GB)
Russia
For more Russian items see Adrianoff,
Aurkka, Ch-Ch-Z, KIPZ, KNM, Lider, Moscompass,
Semionoff,
UOMZ, ZOP / ZUP.wrist_4.htm#TUSA
|
S
sbe (see
Kadlec)
SCOS
SCOUT
SCUBAPRO
SEARS
Seawell: see TRITON
SEEMANN
SUB
SELSI
SEMIONOFF
(Семëнова
in cyrillic letters)
SILVA
SK-65
Space Navigator
SPIROTECHNIQUE
Star-shaped
disc
STEWARD
STOCKERT
(C. St. & Sohn)
SUBGEAR
SUPERIOR
MAGNETO
Sutherland
SUUNTO
Symons
Switzerland
|
T
TAUCHTECHNIK
ECKERNFÖRDE
TAYLOR
TEXSPORT
TILNEY
Trail-Blazer (see US GAUGE)
TRITON
True
North
/ TRU
NORD
TUSA
Type 45 SM (see no name France)
|
U
UGK
(YГK
in Russian)
UOMZ (YOM3
in
cyrill. letters)
URAL
TECHNOLOGIES
U.S. DIVERS
Co.
U.S.
Gauge Div. AM&M |
V
VAUCHER
VESPER (see SPIROTECHNIQUE)
Vez
(VZ)
Vietnam / Vietcong (s. China)
VOIT
vz. 53 (s. Kadlec)
W
WALTHAM
WASSERTIEFE (see DRÄGER)
Watches
with integrated compass
WBT
WILKIE
W.
P. & S. |
X - Y
YAL
YГK (Russian letters for UGK)
YOKOYAMA
YPS |
Z
ZOP
(ЗOП in cyril. letters)
ZUP
(ЗУП in
cyril. letters) |
- A -
PROFILE - Manufacturer not identified. Is this one of the very
first wrist compasses ever made
(late 19th C.?). The compass card's design is identical with
traditional ships' compasses.
The card features 64 divisions, a number also used on military
compasses to assess distances (see the pull-down menue point
MISCELLANEOUS / Divisions).
In reality, it is a probably Russian-made photographical reduction of
a ship's
compass card and the casing is identical to the
Semionova
instrument and the Red Army's Adrianoff models ☺
 |
 |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 41mm
- Depth: 12mm
- Weight: 30gr
- Divisions: 64 rumbs, main and semi cardinals abbreviated, North:
fleur-de-lis (heraldic lily).
- Sighting system: rifle-type
- Transit lock: side (screw head) |
ADRIANOFF
/ КОМПАС АДРИАНОВА (Adrianoff's compass)
Description: This instrument is a further development of a
marching compass model patented in 1907 by the Russian
cartographer
Vladimir
Nikolaievich ADRIANOFF (link to
photography and biography, * Feb.
22, 1875 in St-Petersburg -
August 24, 1938
in Ostashkoff). His name written Адрiановь in old Russian,
appears in the
List of War Topographers
dated 1914. It was first called
ADBER
and in use in the Army's
Survey
Corps. A later slightly different version was also made at least for a
client
in Norway and it also appears in a
BUSCH
catalogue (no. 3350).
The item below is identical to the
AURKKA and
ZUP
models used in the USSR's Red Army but it is a special version for
Bulgaria and
the former Yugoslavia, in the regions writing in cyrillic letters, i.e.
Serbia. The only difference with the Russian version is the letter used
for the cardinal point
EAST (located underneath the figure 450 mils and between 75 and 105
degrees) and which stands for the word
изток
(abbrev.
и
= i,
pronounce
iztok)
in the Bulgarian and
Serbo-croatian languages while it is
восток
(pronounce
vostok,
abbreviated B) in Russian. It was also called
Adrianoff's
compass
(Компас Адриаиова / Adrijanova busola) in the communist countries'
army manuals. A similar compass
type was also manufactured for a short
period in the former communist
East-Germany by ASKANIA (see below).
In the sci-fi movie Planet of Storms (
Планета бурь,
by Pavel Klushantsev, 1962), the astronauts on Venus are
equipped with this compass!
(follow the link for pic.).
Bulgarian and Yugoslav (now Serbian)
version made by UGK.
Below: both versions of the cardinal point East : B for Boctok
(vostok) in Russian at left and и ( i) for изток (iztok) in
Bulgarian or исток (istok) in Serbian at right.
|
(Photocopies
can
be ordered)
|
Model
issued to the RED ARMY's troops (see more examples here: AURKKA, ZUP)
and also to
other "Brother Countries" of the former Warsaw Pact like Bulgaria's,
Poland's and Yugoslavia's troops
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 50mm
- Depth: 20mm
- Weight: 60gr
- Divisions:
• 360 degrees clockwise (inner scale)
• 6000 mils counter-clockwise (outer scale)
See also the plastic version Learner's
Compass KA-Y.
There was also a version with a floating
card signed SEMIONOVA.
|
 |
At left: Polish
version dated 1953
Under the figure 300 : the abbrev. PLD for południe,
south
For cardinals go to the pulldown menue / Miscell. / cardinals |
Hungarian
version: go to MOM / Süss Sandor / Plant no. 41 |
PROFILE - former U.S. manufacturer (more information
HERE).
See also Pocket and Nautical compasses.
LAPEL
COMPASS
The compass rose inscriptions appear larger through the
magnifying glass
|
(Click for
enlarged views)
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 30mm
- Depth (case): 20mm
- Weight: 20gr
- Divisions: Letter for E, S and W cardinals, large
arrow head of self luminescent paint for North.
|
 Technical
Data
- Diam. : 1 3/16" (30mm)
|
AQUA-LUNG is the
brand name of scuba gear. This picture of a tank and
breather appears on a compass wearing a label of
US DIVERS.
Aqua Lung America (formerly U.S. Divers Company) is an American company
based in Vista, California which makes scuba equipment. The company is
a division of Aqua Lung International, which was, for most of its
existence, a division of Air Liquide. Aqua Lung International was sold
by Air Liquide to Montagu Private Equity by the end of 2016. After U.S.
Divers Company was renamed Aqua Lung America, the name U.S. Divers was
retained as a trademark for Aqua Lung's line of snorkelling equipment.
Aquastar is the brand name of ships and diving instruments
(watches, compasses etc.) made by the Swiss company Aquastar
Instruments founded by Jean S. Robert in 1962 in Geneva. At
least two models
are known: the one below and one also signed
SCUBAPRO.
|
Pic courtesy
anker777-777 - Click
for enlarged views |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 65 mm
|
ASKANIA is a German manufacturer (more information
HERE).
This compass type is the East-German, post WWII version of the Russian
ADRIANOFF design made in the Soviet-Union by
ZUP
and AURKKA
(see below). This one
was built in the early '50s by VEB ASKANIA (East-Berlin). The
360
deg. division shows that it is a civilian version.
See also BAMBERG in the cat. AERONAUTICAL Compasses and ASKANIA in
MARCHING and SURVEY compasses.
(Click
for
detailed view of dial) |
 |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 53 mm
- Depth: 20 mm
- Weight: 37 gr
- Divisions: 360 degrees clockwise
- Material: Bakelite case, leather strap
- Crown with rifle-type aiming device and screw activated lock
|
PROFILE - Nothing is known about this company. These compasses were
made
in
Japan*
but another object (a
collapsible cup like the one we display
in OTHER COMPASSES) also signed ATCO and displayed by the former Boreal
Arrow
website was made
in Germany. The older one's strap is 14 inches long.
Picture courtesy
thmaddog
Click on the
image for an enlarged view |
Picture
by
courtesy
of
oldmillenium |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 1 ½ inch / 35 mm
- Thickness: 3/8
inch / 10mm
- Divisions: 360 degrees clockwise
* see examples of other compasses via this link |
PROFILE - ADRIANOFF-type compass made by Мастерские артиллерийские
управления Рабоче-Крестьянской Красной Армии
(Masterskye
Artilleriskoye Upravlenye
Raboche-Krestianskoy
Krasnoy Army) i.e. the Workshops of
the Artillery's Administration
of the
Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
Same construction as the
ZUP
and ADRIANOVA compass.
 |
Technical
Data
Model name ADRIANOVA
- diameter: 50mm
- Depth: 20mm
- Weight: 60gr
- Divisions:
. 360 degrees clockwise (inner scale)
. 6000 mils counterclockwise (outer scale)
- Date (at case underside) : 1940
Illustration at right
courtesy Topographical Orienteering with Map
|
 |
- B -
PROFILE - Francis Barker & Son was a British
manufacturer (more information
HERE
and in our LINKS)
See also Marching, Escape, Pocket, Nautical and Survey compasses.
|
 |
Technical
data
- Diameter: 40mm
- Depth (closed): 22mm
- Weight: 75gr
The crystal is protected by a leather cap and on the magnetic needle's
North mark, the luminous product (tritium) is in a glass tube. |
R.G.S.
- The
design of the dial on the compass below is referred to as the
R.G.S. pattern in some catalogues published in the early 20th c. Barker
tried indeed twice to register this design
under the name
Royal
Geographical Society but this
project was rejected (5th
sept. 1903, number 416643 and
416644).
Barker only used the abbreviation R.G.S. for no.
416645 without further explanation.
|
Technical data
- Diameter: 1 ½ " / 37mm
- Depth: ½ " / 11mm
- Marking: Reg. No. 416645 (see below)
The British National Archives (South-West London) gave the following
information:
The design no. 416645 was published on page 1318 of the Official
Journal of patents dated 30th September 1903, covering designs
registered in the week ending 17th September 1903. The owners were
Francis Barker & Son, of 12 Clerkenwell Rd, London WC. The
material class was Class I, covering metals. |
Wrist compass with Radium-compound paint, plain version (below: Barker
catalog 1926, click on imagefor more details)
Technical data
- Diameter: 1" / 25mm
- Depth: ½ " / 11mm
- Marking: Reg. No. 416645 (see left)
|
The following compass was built during the 50's and issued to the
British troops. It was used during the Korea war and the Suez Canal
expedition
(1956). Its lack of precision lead the Military to use instead their
classical hand-held marching compass (see Barker and Stanley).
Moreover, its high radioactivity was the reason why it was no longer
used.
(Click
on the picture for
an enlarged view) |
View closed and back |
Technical data
- Strap: fabric
- Case: brass
- Diameter: 38mm
- Depth: 17mm
- Weight: 45gr
- Manufacturer: The letter B at the end of the ser. number indicates
that
this instrument was made by F. Barker & Son and /56 is the
production year (1956)
According to the RAF Stores numbering system (Book 7) the ref. 6B
stands for "Instruments" |
PROFILE
- Abbrev. for Bianchetti Electronique Nautique. French
manufacturer (more information
HERE).
BEN Marine is now a division of AMESYS.
BEN built wrist compasses, among others this one
resembling the
LEMAIRE
model used by
the French Navy's Special Forces during the 1st France-Vietnam war
(1946-1954)
and the Algerian independance war
(1957-1962).
The black-and-white picture below shows a French soldier wearing an
original
compass in Algeria. This compass combines the characteristic features
of the white Czech KADLEC AK39 (sight elements on a crown without
divisions, white line on glass) and the lateral screw-operated locking
device of the crown like on british compasses (see T.G. Co. Ltd, Barker
etc.).
Picture
at right courtesy The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau, The Danbury
Press, p. 43
NOTE: The strap material is called a PoRoMeRic. (cf. WIKIPEDIA
definition:
Sometimes
referred to as poromerics, poromeric imitation
leathers are a group of synthetic 'breathable' leather substitutes made
from a plastic coating (usually a polyurethane) on a fibrous base layer
(typically a polyester). The name poromeric
was coined by DuPont as a
derivative of the terms microporous and polymeric. The first poromeric
material was DuPont's ill-fated Corfam introduced in 1963 at the
Chicago Shoe Show.).
PROFILE - see special chapter
THE
BÉZARD COMPASS.
Several models are known to have existed: neutral, German Army
(Bundeswehr) and French Army (Armée Française. AF), wherea the latter
are probably only prototypes.
Four different models
(
link to group picture)
were found together in four identical boxes all bearing the makers logo
(Lufft) label, marked AF in lieu of a no. and "Made in Germany
Importé d'Allemagne Import" (see
below, table 2nd row).
All four compasses differ from the plain and the BW versions (1st row)
and from each other. The casing features 13 holes: on one side, 2
groups of
3 on either side of a red mark (marching course) and seven on the
opposite side. Moreover, there is a recess on the outer rim on each
side of the bottom, about a quarter of the circle long. Apparently,
either the
fluid and or the luminous paints were also different because they
altered differently: two capsules have turned green! Last but not
least, only one of the four features a black arrow printed on a white
stripe on the ground of the capsule. A late and light version featuring
parallel
lines and arrow heads on the transparent bottom plate (
link to pic) seems
to
have been produced by a manufacturer specialized on hikers' gear (
see image at right: User
instructions 1989)
FLUID Bézard wrist compass - Model "Bw"
(Bundeswehr - Armed Forces of Federal Germany)
Click
on pictures for
enlarged view
(Picture above courtesy Ted Brink) |
Box with Nato Stock Number (NSN) and German military
designation
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.: 56mm
- Weight: 35gr
- Divisions: 360 deg clockwise
- Strap: leather
- Date: June 1971
- Capsule fixed via 4 screws on the sides
 |
Similar compass but without the Bw marking
|
Version for the French Army (prototypes?)
Pictures courtesy P. Jacob
|
Label on box for French Army models (AF = Armée
Française)
 |
Technical
Data
- Dia.: 56mm
- Weight: 35gr
- Divisions: 400 grades counter clockwise
- Strap: plastic
- Casing : navy blue
|
Holes in casing, white
blade (arrow on upper face) and
recesses on the sides
|
See description in the Pocket Compasses chapter
- C -
On this compass the cardinals are indicated with the letters
common to the latin
languages i.e. identical in French, Italian Spanish and Portuguese (see
menue Miscell. / cardinal points) but swapped left to right and the
divisions are indicated counter-clockwise, a common feature on US
survey
instruments but not on wrist-top compasses.
Moreover, the red arrow –which is not an adjustable
hand
but only a pointer printed on the dial to show the magnetic
declination at the time the compass was made– points to
approx.
15 deg. East (real direction, the divisions are inverted but this is
another story) while this value was approx. 5 deg. West in Europe when
the compass was made, presumably around the mid 20th c. This
would
mean that this compass was intended to be
used at some place where magnetic north was located eastward of the
user. The only place in the world that
matches this configuration is central Canada.
No manufacturer's name is engraved on the case but it
resembles a
wristwatch case made in Japan during WWII
(Picture courtesy J.
Petre).
PROFILE -
Ch-Ch-Z
are the initials of the Russian watch maker
Chistopolsky Chasovoy
Zawod (i.e.
Chistopol Watch Company, name in cyrillic: see Instructions below).
The city
Chistopol
is located on the river Volga in the Republic
of Tatarstan (Capital: Kasan).
Captain Louis Wentworth Pakington Chetwynd (b. 15
December 1866, d. 18 April 1914, read more details in the section
Nautical
Compasses) patented this compass that could be lit
at night by means of a small lamp that fitted into a tube on the
lefthand side.
See also
Marching and Nautical compasses and also WBT.
(Click
on picture above for
enlarged
view)
Click HERE
to view the patent.
|
Captain CHETWYND's marking
Patent no. 25965/06
|
 Foto
at r.: View lit through the side opening
Technical data
- Strap: leather
- Case: brass
- Diameter (body): 70mm
- Depth: 23mm
- Weight: 225gr
Manufacturer: This instrument and the upgraded version below were
produced by KELVIN,
Bottomley & Baird:
|
Former U.S. retailer (addresses known: 40-42 Quincy Street in Chicago,
Illinois and later 701 West Washington
Boulevard,
Chicago). Scope: scientific Instruments, laboratory supplies,
chemicals. See
also POCKET COMPASSES. This compass features a strap in military look.
However, it is not sure
that it was used in the U.S. Army on a large scale because there are no
luminous
markings and no possibility to set a marching course.
|
|
Click on the images
for enlarged views
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.: 1" / 25mm
- Height: 1/2 inch/ 13mm
- Strap length: 8" / 200mm
Made presumably
during WWII.
A similar compass was also signed MARVEL |
CHINA
(PR) / VIET-NAM
/
Viet Cong
The name Cochran is printed on the dial but the company COCHRAN
Undersea Technology (www.divecochran.com) told us that this instrument
was made outside the U.S.A. and their records didn't go back that far
(probably the 1980s). On the other side, we were told that
this compass was made in Italy (see below).
Former French company successor of
HOULLIOT
located in
the Marais district
in Paris (more information
HERE).
The original brass model (red strap) was replaced by a watch-type case
made of Duralumine (grey strap).
See
also Pocket, Survey compasses and Sundials.
Captain Frank Osborne Creagh-Osborne, Royal Navy (1867/1943)
was
Superintendent of Compasses with the Admiralty and a British
inventor (s. his portrait
HERE). He
patented several versions of this system (see
below): His compasses were manufactured by H. Hughes & Son Ltd
(59,
Fenchurch Street London), Dent & Co, & Johnson Ltd.
and by Sperry Gyroscopes.
See also the categories Marching
and Aeronautical compasses.
Serial No. 4803
(Click
on the picture ABOVE
for an enlarged view)
Sighting aid and prism |
Hand-held version
(see Marching compasses)
(excerpt out of the manual
The
Prismatic
Compass) |
Technical
data
- Strap: leather
- Case: brass
- Diameter: 65 mm
- Depth: 28 mm
- Weight: 250 gr
Fig.
published in the patent no. 1148/15
(12
p., copies
available)
|
Pictures
courtesy T. Brink
|
 |
Model
Blacker Type
Compare to the marching compasses signed Creagh-Osborne and Hughes.
|
Italian company founded in 1946.
- D -
DACOR was a US company founded in 1954 by a former
Marine
soldier called Sam DAVISON. DACOR is an acronym built with the first
syllable of his name DAvison and CORporation. It was consecutively
located in Evanston, Illinois, in 1954, then in Skokie, Illinois (about
1965) and at last in Northfield, Illinois.
It was bought by the Italian MARES (diving gear) in the early 2000's.
Pictures
courtesy
J.
GRÉPINET
(see LINKS, DIVER COMPASSES) |
 |
Technical
data
- Diameter (glass capsule): 30 mm
- Depth (glass + basis): 35 mm
- Weight: 70 gr
- Manufactured (approx.): 1960's
This model was later built by a Japanese maker (see JAPAN) |
Pictures
courtesy
J. Shannon |
 |
DACOR CORP. MODEL LSC.
This item features winglets under the magnetic
needle which are typical for WILKIE's compasses. |
DINSMORE is a U.S. company located in Flint,
Michigan. It was founded in 1927 (tbc) by
Clarence B. "Dinny" DINSMORE. His son Robert C. (born Dec. 22, 1919 -
died Dec. 15,
2009) continued but sold the rights in 2001 to the 'The Robson Company'
(TRC).
Dinsmore was the world's first maker of car
compasses and has had approx. eighty years of experience, and many
patents for the correction of vehicle caused anomalies in compass
readings. Dinsmore has designed and manufactured compasses for special
uses as well as aircraft, mariners and vehicular compasses.
See also R. C. Dinsmore's
obituary.
However, we were told the following story by the current owner of the
plant, Mr. Bruce Blevis:
"I believe that Dinny worked for Albert Champion, founder of AC Spark
Plug and Champion plugs back in the 1920’s. There
was a
company in the East trying to work their way into the automobile gage
business, which Mr. Champion had a corner on the market because the
center of automobiles was in the Flint and Detroit areas in the
1920’s. This other company specialized in aircraft
gages. So Albert asked Dinny to design a compass that would
work
in any position. When Dinny brought the compass to Albert,
Albert
sent it to the competitor and said "
if
you don’t stop
making auto gages I will market this compass which can be used in
airplanes".
They withdrew from the auto market. Albert having won his
battle
had no use for the compass so he gave the rights to Dinny, who patented
them and started the Dinsmore Instrument Company."
Dinsmore
Wrist compass |
 |
Technical
data
- Diameter: 28 mm
- Depth: 13 mm
- Manufactured (approx.): 19..'s? |
This museum only
displays vintage divers' compasses. To read the description
pls. follow the links:
BEN,
FPM,
Hand,
Heinke,
KNM
(KHM),
Mikrotechna,
Nemrod,
NVA
(former East German Army),
Panerai,
Scubapro,
Spirotechnique,
Steward,
Suunto,
Taylor,
Triton,
Waltham,
Wilkie,
... (to be
cont'd).
 |
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.: 3" / 75mm
- Height: 2" / 50mm
Unbranded divers' compass probably made in the US in
the 1960s.
If
you recognize this instrument in an old catalog, pls. send us a copy of
it and all other available information. Many thanks in advance.
|
A very special device is the navigation board used
by the
Underwater
Demolition Teams (UDTs - U.S.
Navy
Seals), the UK Royal Navy's
Special
Boat Service
(SBS) and the German
Spezialisierte
Einsatzkräfte Marine (SEK-M)
which
consists of an instrument panel held by the team leader in front of
him while advancing. The other team members follow him holding a
buddy line. A new system designed by Franz Rothbrust and built by the
German compass manufacturer LUDOLPH (
see pic at right)
has many advantages upon the
standard NATO system: it is about half as large and features in
addition a mirror above the FK 16 aircraft compass (ask for full
description in English - pdf) permitting to be sure the other divers
are following.
See examples of navigation boards used by the French Forces divers
(Commando Hubert / Marine) on the website
Collection of diver compasses, boards
and other
instruments.
Navigation
board of the
German forces' underwater demolition teams (Bw-Kampfschwimmer)
featuring a compass made by Spirotechnique
and BEN
(mfr no. HTz C1150,
now AMESYS) from ca. 1968 on.
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Markings
on the compass case:
- BUND / BW (= Bundeswehr)
- NATO Stock No.: 6605-14-253-7135
- Manufacturer ref.: HTz 142 260
- ³H = Tritium illumination
Dia. overall 120mm, Height: 70mm
|
Navigation board
(read
details below)
|
British instruments manufacturer and retailer, now
D&A, Dollond & Aitchison (more information
HERE).
Pilot compass with extra long strap. Disk design: "Service Pattern".
Compare with Steward
S.a. Marching compasses.
|
Click
on image for enlarged view
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Technical
Data
- Dia. (casing): 42 mm
- Thickness (overall): 17 mm
- Production period: WW2?
Manufacturer marking: DOLLOND LONDON
|
DOXA was a Swiss clock manufacturer. From the 1960s on, the
brand was used by a Japanese company for
numerous wrist and pocket compasses.
This compass appears in a
MITSUI
(link to the entry
'JAPAN') catalogue together with several other
compasses.
Picture
at
right: railroad driver watch late 19th C.
 |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 35 mm
- Production year: approx. 1960
See also Japanese pocket compasses
|
(Click
on the images for enlarged views) |
DRÄGER
(Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, read the company's history in
Wikipedia) is a German manufacturer of
medical
and
rescue materiel founded in 1899 in Lübeck
(web site:
draeger.com). After WWII, Dräger produced scuba diving
equipment and filed in 1957 a
patent (no.
1,758,795) for a depth gauge with an integrated
fluid-dampened compass. The version
shown in the patent's figs. is the model
MARINER sold in the
U.S. by
HEALTHWAYS.
Depth
gauges featuring a fluid-dampened
compass were offered in
the early catalogs (1961 and 1966). The compass capsule itself was
maybe
supplied by WILKIE (compare to the
ADMIRAL
model). We know of three
models: two with only metallic
casing (one featuring a side window) and one
with a plastic protection ring. A former diver with the East German
Army (NVA) of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) confirmed
having been issued such a compass marked
Made in Germany.
Picture at right: old Logo
Model NEPTUNE
(Click
on the images for enlarged views)
|
For the moment, no catalogue was found depicting this compass model.
The earliest that we know of was printed in 1961 and showed the model
with the wite crown.
Catalogue
1961 / Comparison NEPTUNE
and MARINER
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.: 48mm; Height: 28mm
- Photo at right: pressure sensor (see below)
- Built in the late 50's
- Compass card: transparent plastic disc glued on top of the
needle,
cardinals N and S plus two black dots.
- Lubberline between fig. 100 ft and TU
(in Neptune)
 - In the patent
it says
that two different luminous paints are used for compass and depth gauge
(probable design green and yellow?).
- Marking: NEPTUNE
|
Pic.
crtsy ATRA
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.: ... mm, Height : ... mm
- Built: approx. 1966
- Marking: WASSERTIEFE
(depth) and Dräger's logo
 Cut-away
view of a
depth gauge w/o compass. At left:
the pressure sensor
Pic.
crtsy Dräger archives
(Click on the images for
enlarged views)
|
Catalogue
1966
|
Technical
Data
PROFILE - see special chapter THE
BÉZARD COMPASS.
Model
name: KN-2
Foto
at r.: View lit through the side opening
- Dia.: 52 mm
A soldier probably tinkered this instrument with a
pocket compass (dia. 42mm) attached on a plate with claws. The loop was
sawed off.
Technical
Data
- In the patent
it says
that two different luminous paints are used for compass and depth gauge
(probable design green and yellow?).
Cut-away
view of a
depth gauge w/o compass. At left:
the pressure sensor
