- D -
F. Darton bought their cases
from Dennison of Birmingham and
put their own inserts inside. They were a recognised supplier to the
British War Department (now Ministry of Defence). The dial's design (
Singer's
patent)
is
identical with the Dennison compass below
(click on the image at
right for
an
enlarged view).
Louis-Joseph Deleuil (1795 - 1862) was
a famous French engineer,
optician and inventor of scientific instruments. See Wikipedia
(F).
Dia.: 60 mm, crystal slightly convex.
(Pictures
by courtesy of S. Huerta - click on the images at
right for enlarged views).
Former French manufacturer (cameras) that produced among
other
companies a military version of the compass type Modèle 1922
(more information
HERE).
(Click for enlarged view) |
Military
pocket compass featuring the same design as the famous Modèle 1922.
The MILS were no longer indicated by four but only by two digits
(compare with MORIN).
This very simple basic design didn't permit to take as precise bearings
as with the
original Modèle 1922 which was integrated in a case with an
aiming
device in the cover. |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 55 mm
- Depth: 18 mm
- Weight: 65 gr
Transit lock on the side |
Former British manufacturer in Birmingham (more information
HERE).
Pictures
by courtesy
of
The Compasscollector (see LINKS) |
(Click on picture for
an enlarged view) |
Mark V
compass with SINGER's
patent card design. It was superseded in the end of 1916 by the much
more precise Mark VI design.
Example: see W.
Terrasse.
Technical Data
- Diameter: 45 mm
- Depth: 14 mm
|
C. W. DIXEY were "Opticians to the Queen" and several
compasses bear their signature. However, they had them made by other
manufacturers like
J
& G SIMMS. They traded
from 335 Oxford Street, 3 New
Bond Sreet and from Old Bond Street in London from 1838 and 1862.
British instruments manufacturer and retailer, now
D&A, Dollond & Aitchison (more information
HERE).
Box
compass (early 1800's)
Click on pictures for enlarged
views |
Signature:
Dollond London
Picture
courtesy fatato81
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 55 mm
- Height: 15 mm
|
"Long
neck"
design
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: mm
- Length: mm
- Face: émail
- Date : mid 19th C.
|
DOMATIC was one of the trade names of compasses made by
WILKIE sold by
TFA DOSTMANN.
DOXA was a Swiss clock manufacturer (see example
in DOXA
wrist compass). The brand was used from the 1960's on by a Japanese
retailer. This compass appears in a MITSUI catalogue (see Jap. Pocket
compasses further below and also Japanese Wrist compasses).
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: ... mm
- Depth: ... mm
- Weight: ... gr
|
- E
-
This French word is the right translation for
scout.
The "
Eclaireuses
et Eclaireurs de France"
is an interreligious French
scoutism
and guiding association (more information in
Wikipedia). Some British
and
U.S. compasses are designated
Pathfinder
(follow this link and see also EENBECO below) or
Trail-blazer
(wrist compass) and correspondingly
Pfadfinder
on some German compasses.
|
|
|
Technical
Data
1932 catalogue of the AUX ÉCLAIREURS shops
Camping materiel, among others compasses.
(Click
on images for enlarged views) |
Former British company.
Enbeeco
(
link
to ad) is an anagramme built
from the company's name
Newbold
&
Bulford
Co.
Ltd.
See also Marching compasses
(F. Barker & Son).
(Click
on
the pictures for enlarged views) |
Pictures
courtesy J.M.A. (Bakjma)
|
Technical
Data
Light boy scout compass
- Diameter: 50mm
- Height: 15mm
- Weight: 29gr
- Divisions: 360° clockwise
- Production: 1950's
- Material: bakelite |
German Manufacturer located in Nuremberg (more information
HERE).
See also Marching and Wrist compasses. The catalogue for the year 1937*
(click
on image at r. for details)
displays among many others
a pocket compass built by
Joseph
SINGER
& Sohn. *
Document
reproduced by courtesy of Frank
LIEBAU, visit his web site Die
Kompassmacher
Catalogue for 1937
(click
on the image for
an enlarged view together with a similar compass published in the 1938
Stockert & S. catalogue)
|
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 45 mm
- Height: 14 mm
- Weight: 36 gr
- Divisions: 360° clockwise
- Production: late 1970's
Typical WILKIE-made compass. This is easily recognizable
because of the needle's shape and the stabilizing winglets (not to be
seen on this picture because of the yellowish discolouration of the
crystal.
(Click
on
picture at left
for enlarged view) |
- F -
Unidentified manufacturer - probably VERPIOT.
|
|
The
smallest of
all spring hunter type pocket compasses to date (see Definition in
Miscellaneous / Terminology)
Technical Data
- Diameter: 1 in. / 25 mm
- Depth: 11 mm
- Weight: 19 gr |
F. SOMMET & Cie was in the 1930's a
retailer for various instruments among
others compasses made by HOULLIOT.
The printing plates for the catalogue images are still in the hands of
the
heirs of the HOULLIOT family.
Catalogue F S & C
Compasses |
Example: the boussole
directrice |
Various compasses - Top row: For details go to "Pocket Pomp. / Glass",
and "Other Comp./ Photographers compasses." |
Printing plates |
- G -
Unidentified manufacturers - See also C. Stockert &
Sohn,
Burnat, S-L and Thalson.
|
|
French compass with glass rear face, early 20th c.
Compare with a similar compass made by C. Stockert & Sohn
Technical Data
- Diameter: 48mm
- Depth: 12mm
- Weight: 35grs |
|
Presented as a special compass for ballooning in
a Vion catalogue
(c. 1910) |
Compass
with glass bottom. It was carried in a leather pouch with snap lock
and a large round
window. Early
20th c.
Technical Data
- Diameter: 45 mm
- Depth: 12 mm
- Weight: 40 gr
Serial no.: 56 (punched on the side) |
|
|
Technical Data
- Diameter: 45mm
- Thickness: 10mm
- Weight: 14gr
- Convex glass on both sides
- Marking: JAPAN (click on
link for more items)
|
|
Cyclist or rider compass
|
British made, maybe J. H. Steward
Technical Data
- Diameter: 37mm
- Thickness: c.15mm ?
The compass
case is either nickel-plated brass or aluminium, with a black painted
exterior finish. The top glass is bevelled, the rear side glass is
flat. |
The German company Carl Paul GOERZ Optische Anstalt was
created in 1886
in Berlin (quoted from WIKIPEDIA).
We also display in the category Survey compasses two versions
of an artillery compass
(WW1 and WW2).
|
This
instrument existed also without lid
Picture
courtesy I.
Argyriadis.
Click on the images for
enlarged views
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 47mm
- Thickness: 16mm
- "Press-to-release" transit lock in the loop
This instrument is in fact a marching compass and very similar to a PLAN
Ltd signed instrument.
|
Picture
courtesy M. Collignon |
|
Model
with glass bottom
and sighting
device like the one featured on
the Adrianoff wrist models issued to the Red Army's troops (AYRKKA).
The casing features a groove and two tabs but no divisions. It was part
of an unknown instrument.
Dim.: Dia.: 55 mm ; Height: 15 mm
Compare to the similar
transparent items w/o sights made by C.
Stockert and to an unsigned one displayed HERE. |
- H -
Former French company which became COLLIGNON-HOULLIOT
after WW2 (more information
HERE).
Houlliot exported worlwide (Germany, Russia, USA etc. - see
LUFFT,
model 2745). Houlliot was one of the main manufacturer of survey
compasses and parts thereof. He also invested a lot of work in small
military compasses invented by French officers like the
Souchier
and the
Desombre
models.
See also Houlliot's Nautical and Survey compasses and the
equinoctial
compasses (with sundial), the
Modèle
1922 modified 1934.
A
LARGE SCOPE OF TINY C.1900 CHARM
COMPASSES IS DISPLAYED IN THE SECTION "OTHER COMPASSES /
JEWELRY" AND
IN THE MUSEUM'S SHOP. Visit also to the RELIGION chapter for
the
islamic QIBLA compasses.
Samples of floating cards made of mother of pearl (with rose
of
winds in black and red paint) ordered by a German retailer
before WWI
(dia.: 20mm) .
If not
otherwise
specified,
all pictures by courtesy of Mr M. Collignon.
British manufacturer. The firm was incorporated as
Henry
Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1903 and
opened a
production facility in Forest Gate
(read the full story in
Wikipedia "Kelvin Hughes / The Hughes
connection").
Hughes also produced various marching and wrist compasses based on
Creagh-Osborne's
patent (see this name in these categories).
Picture
courtesy D.
Beving
Click on the picture for
an enlarged view
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: mm
- Depth: mm
- Singer design on mother of pearl
- Cardinals in red paint on crystal (compare with Fr. Barker's
catalogue pictures of the models Pathfinder
and Prospecting)
|
- I -
US manufacturer, created in 1908 by two former employees of
the instruments maker James W. QUEEN & Co. called Charles. F.
Iszard and J. Henry
Warren (surveying, engineering and scientific instruments). In 1913 it
became the Warren-Knight Instrument Co. It was first located in
Philadelphia 136 North 12th Street and moved to their current
premises in 1963 (source: www.warrenind.com).
See also Survey & Artillery Compasses (Warren-Knight).
|
The company's logo on a 1908 catalogue
(Click
on the pictures for
enlarged views)
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 45 mm
- Depth: 15 mm
- Hunter case, bar needle with counterweight
- Production year: before 1913
Engraved inside the lid is the logo of Iszard-Warren's brand DU-NORTH
compass
|
PROFILE - go to
C.E.V.
The
only visible
marking is
located on the push-button inside the loop
. (
see
also the marching compass designed by
Schlacht).
- J -
Japan
Compasses made before WWII and written in the traditional way (Chinese
language and divisions).
See also the Japanese (WWII)
wrist compasses,
DOXA,
THALSON and
compasses with
GLASS
bottom.
(Click
on the pictures for
enlarged views)
|
Technical Data
(image at left)
- Dia.: 1½ " /
37mm
- Bar needle
- Made probably in the 1920s
- Silver-coated face
- Cardinals: For more details go
to Religion
/ Chinese
Tradition and Miscell. /
Cardinal Points (China & Japan).
Image at right: compass made probably in the 1930s/40s.
Picture
courtesy A. Jatsch |
|
After WW2, the Japanese industry exported many small compasses in the
whole world and many European and U.S. manufacturers had their
instrument made in Japan. We have catalogues dating back to the early
1960's
from a company called TOKYO COMPASS MFG. LTD. JAPAN which seems to have
been taken over by the vast MITSUI & CO., LTD. located no.
2,1-CHOME
SHIBATAMURA-CHO, MINATO-KU in Tokyo, Japan. Many famous designs like
Taylor's and names like DOXA can be recognized.
|
|
Examples
of catalogue pages
Cell 1 - Tokyo Compass (green)
Seven categories: auto compasses, marine
compasses, engineer,
camping equipment, pocket compasses, wrist compasses, assortment and
display.
Cell 2 - Mitsui (blue)
Nine categories: (the same plus) lidded pocket compasses and
pin-on compasses.
(Click
on the pictures
for
enlarged views)
|
- K -
U.S. manufacturer, New York (more information
HERE).
See also category Survey & Artillery Compasses.
|
Click on
images for
enlarged views |
Technical
Data
Dia: 50mm / 2 in.
In addition to the transit lock, the compass possesses a needle brake
actuated by pushing downwards the side lever end. The rear sighting aid
(pinhole) is not located inside the loop
like on most compasses but outside, i.e. on top of it when
erected.
K & E bought such compasses from F. Barker & Son.
Marking on
case bottom: MADE IN ENGLAND
|
|
The K&E
catalogue for 1904 (see image at right) represents a compass with a
flat crystal
which was
probably broken on our own instrument and replaced with a curvated one
in
which an additional small lense with the same curvature was glued to
prevent the needle to fall off (view of parts before cleaning)
Click
on
images for
enlarged views |
Technical
Data
Large and precise open face instrument
Dia: 75mm / 3 in.
Thickness: 15mm
Weight: 160gr
Precision: 2 deg.
Transit lock (missing on pic.) actuated via the knob in the loop
Picture
of catalogue by
courtesy of surveyantiques.com
|
Open face, black card. 1930's
(Picture courtesy puttyface6) |
Hunter case, bar needle |
Technical
Data (Hunter Case)
- Diameter: 45mm
- Depth: 15mm
- Weight: 49gr
- Radium paint markings
- WWI until 1940s
(Click
on the images for
enlarged views) |
General-major Mikhail
Ivanovich KHlynovski
(Хлыновский
Михаил Иванович,
генерал-майор), 1859 - 1910, invented and patented this compass. It was
produced by HOULLIOT in France and sold in Russia by A. LAUBE (A.
Лаубе)
located Sabalkansky Prospekt n°1 and later Sofiskaya
n° 7 in
St-Petersburg. The
French manufacturer
HOULLIOT
supplied probably until the 1917 revolution numerous models to Russian
retailers. We were extremely lucky and had access to the
company's archives
(books, clients addresses etc.) of the last owner and head of the
company
Collignon-Houlliot who also produced a
box
full of discarded flawed items
(broken crystal, engraving error,
loosened luminous arrow etc.). These boxes contained a typical quantity
of 144 instruments (a so called "grosse" order, i.e. 12 x 12
articles). We could identify at least
seven
different models including a
planchette
(plane table)
compass (click on link for pics.).
Portrait:
picture courtesy "Иркутск
и иркутяне. Город и его
жители на фотографиях и открытках 1850-1920". Медведев, Сергей Иванович)
On some of them, the
Russian
words
Registered Trademark are engraved
abbreviated: ПРИВИЛ.(ЕГИЯ)
ЗАЯВЛ.(ЕНА)
above the designer's name M. KHlynovski (M. Хлыновский) and a
double
ruler of one inch length with 20 divisions on the upper
side and 25 (millimeter) on the lower side. However, a
similar compass is
also known but signed
V.
OSSIETZKY together
with the abbrev.
охр. свип.
(also
meaning reg. TM but in the translation of the German
Schutzmarke).
(Click
on pictures for
enlarged
views) |
Conversion scale on back:
Top: 1 inch (20 units)
Bottom: 25 mm |
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 2" / 50mm
- Divisions: none, only cardinals in black (small) and large cut-out
giving the luminous paper.
Cardinals in
Russian: see MISCELLANEOUS
-
Luminous Balmain paper sheet under the dial
At right: Example of an imprinted sheet:
NOTE: On some items the French word DÉPOSÉ (reg. TM) ist engraved above
the signature:
|
Version engraved PATENT (w/o no.) on back. We don't know any intact
item but the lack of difference to other compasses is probably the
reason no patent file was ever accepted.
|
Fig. published in a 1907 manual (click on image for a
view of cover an two pages)
|
There have been many different versions of the two models described in
the list of approved materiels: for officers (at left) and for soldiers
(at right). Undelivered compasses still bear on the reverse labels
in Russian (link
to pic)
correspondinmg to several companies of the 162 Infantry Regiment of
Akhaltsykhski (Ахалцыхский
162-й
пехотный полк). |
This compass maker's name appears (at top right) together with a
drawing
published in a
catalogue in which three
other models are depicted like the ones called after their designers
Khlynovsky
(see above) and
Ossietzky
and
also the one made by
Houlliot
(see above) and called
Invincible.
|
|
Technical
Data
- Dia.:: 48 mm
- Double graduation: 360° clockwise and 6000 MILS (only three digits)
counter clockwise
- Bottom: only two rulers of 1/20 (1 inch) and 1/25 mm
- The compass rose is fixed with 4 screws on the the case
- Illumination by means of Balmain paper.
Click on the image at left for a view of the full page
Foto forum.WW2.ru
|
Swiss clock manufacturers who
built from the middle of the 19th c. on compasses into pocket watches
and indicated the name of the resellors (jewellers). Here is a
beautiful one made for "F. W. KREIS" jeweller in Berlin. The address
"Berlin, W." doesn't refer to the partition of Berlin into sectors
after WW II but to the former city district called 'West'
located
south
of the prestigious
Allee
Unter den
Linden.
F. W. Kreis imported also watches which were built into the cockpits of
the first reconnaissance and combat aircraft during WW I (see
Konrad
Knirim 's website about antique
military
watches).
Design: compare with the Swiss made WRIST compass (see this
category)
|
|
Technical
Data
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Depth: 10 mm
- Weight: 30 g |
PROFILE - KRÖPLIN is a German company (more
information
HERE).
The objective of the patent which H. C. Kröplin applied for in
1925 was to make it possible to set a marching course on a compass
without having to orientate a map on a table or even on a vertical
wall map and to transfer this information onto the compass. The
inventor designed
for this purpose a card with a (red) pointer that could be taken out of
the compass capsule. We know two versions of a simple cylindrical
instrument matching the patent's description: the
Armeekompaß*
and the
Marschkompaß.
* The German letter
ß ressembling
the Greek
beta
represents in fact 2
s
written
together, read thus
Armeekompass.
NOTE: In our opinion, this invention was pure nonsense since the
compass technology already was far more advanced in other systems like
the
Bézard
type created
over 20 years before, but the inventor apparently pursued his
idée fixe
during many years.
- The model
Marschkompass
was
apparently built in a certain quantity since a price is indicated in
the original box.
- The model
Armeekompass
displayed below was probably only a demonstration
prototype
since it features no luminous markings. The model and manufacturer's
names
and other patent and design information are anyhow superfluous
in
a military equipment.
Below: A series model with two covers. The
top one protects the compass crystal, the rear one gives way to the
insert disk.