WRIST AND PIN-ON COMPASSES (cont'd)

Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

E - F

FEE & STEMWEDEL

PROFILE - Former US manufacturer located in Chicago (more information HERE).

US KOREAN WAR WRIST COMPASS MODEL 1949 (compare with WALTHAM).





(Photos courtesy Ebay sellor sellingallmystuff2day)
Technical Data
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Depth: 10 mm
- Weight: .. gr
- Manufactured: 3-53
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

FPM Holding - Freiberger Präzisionsmechanik

PROFILE - German company (for more information click HERE).

Fluid capsule compass SPORT 11

Technical Data
- Diameter: 55 mm
- Depth: 20 mm
- Weight: 41 gr
- Divisions: 360 degrees by 5, clockwise
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

- G -

GUGK (ГYГK in cyrillic letters)

PROFILE -This abbreviation appears on the crystal together with a flower (edelweiss?) and on the back. GUGK (Glavnoe Upravlenie Geodesii i Kartografi) was the name of the Survey authorities in the former USSR. Because of the similarities between the two languages, we assume that the Bulgarian authority had the same abbreviation. On the back of the casing appears the name of the manufacturer (transcription): Kartno Geopriborna Fabrika Sofia, i.e. "Company for Maps and Geographical Instruments of Sofia".
We display anothercomparable compass made by the French manufacturer LEMAIRE and we know of a further one belonging to the Polish Foundation Kosciuszki's collection. Both were produced directly by the Swedish company SILVA or on the base of their patents, so that we assume that there is here also a connection.





(Click on pictures for enlarged views)
Technical Data
- Diameter: 51 mm
- Depth: 13 mm
- Weight: 37 gr
- Manufactured: 1950's ?
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

- H -

HAND

PROFILE - John E. Hand & Sons was a U.S. compass manufacturer (more information HERE).
Besides ship compasses this company also built wrist compasses for Navy and Airforce soldiers, especially the following wrist compasses developed for the Navy in the 50's and 60's and utilized by the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams).

THE MUSEUM IS LOOKING FOR PICTURES OF A  COMPASS Mk 1 Mod 0 (PRODUCTION YEARS: 1950's) LIKE THE ONE SHOWN ON BILLY SCHORR'S WEBSITE.

Mk 1 Mod 1 (date: 2/65)



(Click on pictures for detailed views)		 Technical Data
- Diameter: 47 mm
- Depth: 30 mm
- Weight: 72 gr
- Divisions: 360 deg.

The warning (radioactivity symbol) is indicated also on the side.

Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

HEINKE

PROFILE - Charles Edwin HEINKE (b. Sept. 4, 1818 - d. in 1869) was a submarine engineer and the son of a Prussian immigrant. His company C. E. HEINKE & Co. Ltd produced divers' materiel.  The company was created in 1844 and was eventually acquired by SIEBE GORMAN & Co. in 1961.
(For more information, visit the following website : HEINKEKERN.)

This compass was most probably built for HEINKE by a compassmaker...




(Click on picture for enlarged view)

Technical Data
- Diameter: 63 mm / 2-1/2 inch
- Depth: 24 mm / 1 inch
- Weight: 155 g
- Graduation: 360°
- Manufactured: 1950's?
- Radium paint dots on the card at North and on the cover glass togeter with a black dash (located at 270 deg. on the picture at left)
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

- J -

JAPAN

PROFILE: (draft)
NO INFO MOMENTARILY AVAILABLE.

(Click on the pictures for enlarged views)

 Technical Data
- Diameter: 21 mm
- Depth: 6 mm
- Weight: 8 gr
- Divisions: No figures, only cardinal points and rhumbs (see MISCELLANEOUS) in Chinese signs
- No transit lock

Note: A translation of the signs on the obverse would be welcome
Thank you		 Japanese wrist compass with rotating crystal (bezel).
Technical Data
- Diameter: 30 mm
- Depth: 9 mm
- Weight: 10 gr
- Divisions: 360 degrees by 2, clockwise
- Needle transit locking: by turning the crown


WW II pilot's compass.

(Click on picture above
for enlarged view)
 Technical Data
- Diameter: 34 mm
- Depth: 12 mm
- Weight: 25 g
- Divisions: 360 deg. by 5, clockwise
- Needle transit locking: side lever
- Marching direction arrow painted under the crystal (bezel)
- Luminous markings: radium paint
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

- K -

KADLEC - Instrumentenfabrik, Prague

PROFILE: (draft)
Kadlec was a German instruments manufacturer located in Prague (former Czechoslovakia, now Czechia) until the end of WW II.
A manufacturer of marine instruments still exists in Germany today. So far, this company didn't answer our questions concerning its history. We presume that is was re-founded in the West after the communist regime took over the industry's management.
The Czech plant (code lhx) most probably manufactured after WWII the other compass type displayed below.

Model AK 39
There were two versions of the AK 39 compass: a simple black one and a white one. They were utilized by German pilots during WWII. (See picture at right  - click to enlarge) This photograph was published by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and probably used for training purposes. The black model (procurement no. Fl 23235 - see foot note) featured only lubber's line (that used to be luminous). The white model (Fl 23235-1) allowed for setting a course by means of two white rotating semi-circular sheets located at the underside. Moreover, a gun-type sight allowed for taking an aim at a target.

Note: The letters Fl are the abbreviation for Fliegermaterial i.e. aeronautical materiel.

(Below: Click on pictures for enlarged views)

The company's name
KADLEC Instrumentenfabrik Prag
is not indicated on the card of some items. 
 Technical Data
- Diameter: 62 mm
- Depth: 20 mm
- Weight: 80 gr

Inscriptions on the obverse:
- Armbandkompass (wrist-top compass)
- Bauart (manufacturer): Kadlec
- Baumuster (item type): AK 39
- Werk-Nr. (Serial no.): xxxxx
- Anforderungszeichen (Procurement no.): Fl 23235

Taking a bearing with the gun-type sight:

View from below with the white adjustable marching course half-disks



Technical Data
- see above

(Photo courtesy Peter Miles)
Special inscription on the items without the manufacturer's name:
- V-Muster = Verbrauchsmuster (non maintainable)

Additionally, a (production?) date was indicated: E.g.: 7. VI. 1943 (June 7, 1943)

Compass manufactured after WWII
It existed also in two versions:
- a civilian model with only a 360 deg. graduation without cardinal points letters
- a military model with double graduation (360 deg. clockwise, white figures, and 6000 mils., counterclockwise, red figures) and cardinal points in Czech language: triangle for North, V, J, Z (see MISCELLANEOUS, Cardinal Points).



(Click on the picture for an enlarged view)

Compass card with 360 deg. divisions and a semicircular scale : 9h-3h.

Taking a bearing with the
rifle-type sight



Red scale at the underside, the industrial code  "lhx" is faintly visible at the top.		 Technical Data
- Diameter: 48 mm
- Depth: 20 mm
- Weight (with band): 30 gr

The use of the red scale and the 9h-3h scale are not known.
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

KNM (KHM in cyrillic letters)

PROFILE: (company of the former Soviet Union)
The letters KNM stand for the three Russian words Compass, naruchny, magnetny (wrist magnetic compass)
Magnetic wrist compass for diver

The compass (Fig. 51) is used to work out direction under water. It can also be used on the surface during the day or night

(Following adapted description by courtesy of Kim. See his website Russian Diving.)

The KNM (KHM in cyrillic letters) compass consists of the three main parts: body (4), card (3) and base (7). The compass body is a truncated cone made of transparent plastic. The bottom part of the cone is joined to the base. A scale (8) is engraved on the side surface of the body. There is 10 deg. between marks and 30 deg. between digits. Two hands are engraved on top of the body parallel to the lubber's line 0 – 180 deg. Two trackers are installed there as well: subject tracker (9) and eye tracker (2). In the middle of the base a column with a pin is fixed. The compass card rests on it. The compass card is made of the same plastic as the body. The card has two magnets placed parallel to each other. A hand is engraved on top of the card. Marks, hands, trackers on the compass body and hands on the card are covered with fluorescent paint that make it possible to use the compass in darkness.

To minimise card pressure, pin friction and stop it vibrating, the body of the compass is filled with 50% glycol solution or 43% ethanol solution. However, there is still a small air bubble left (diameter 8–10 mm). The bubble is necessary to stop pressure mounting in the body when the liquid expands. It also shows the horizontal position of the compass. When the compass is in horizontal position, the bubble is inside the circle (1) that is drawn on the compass body.
The compass base is an aluminium ring that encircles the body. There is an index (6) on the base and two bars (5) used to attach the strap. The strap is used to secure the compass on a diver’s wrist. The body of the compass can be easily turned in the base so that any bearing can be aligned with the index. Such alignment is useful so that a diver does not have to remember a set direction under water.

To move under water or on land according to the set azimuth, its corresponding mark needs to be aligned with the index on the base. The compass needs to be in horizontal position and needs to be rotated in an horizontal plane until the card hands are parallel to the body hands. The direction of the movement is decided from the index on the base.



(Click on pict. for enlarged view
together with metallic box)

Users' instructions		 Fig. 51. Wrist magnetic compass:
1 – circle to establish compass’ horizontal position
2 – eye tracker
3 – card
4 – body
5 – bars for the strap
6 – index
7 – base
8 – scale
9 – object tracker

 Technical Data
- Diameter: base 70 mm, crown rim 55 mm
- Depth: 35 mm
- Weight: 165 gr
Back to ALPHABETICALSEARCH (Wrist Compasses)

CONT'D