WW1 Compass

[Etherealicer]

Got this beautiful WW1 compass at a flea-market.

Holymoly, this is a beautifully crafted piece of art. It has a knob that will lock the disc safely when you are travelling (if you close the compass it will lock it too). The rotating ring around the glass can be arrested by a screw and there is a small button that helps stabilize the disk while in use. The disc is beautiful piece of work made in mother of pearl, which allows you to read the compass very well (even in poor lighting). The view through the prism is very clear and the dial is easy to read.

Date: This baby was made in 1917, so it is almost 100 years old
Markings: On the front it is labeled with Verner's Pattern VIII, this of course refers to the design of the dial.
Manufacturere: Over 250'000 (assuming there is no gap in the numbering) of this exact model were made by over 40 different manufactures, mostly in England (London area) with one manufacturer in Switzerland. Mine was made by F-L (probably French Ltd. London although I could not find any information on that company) and bears the number 87988.

P.S. anyone know what X-shaped thingy is called? And what it is used for (I guess for measuring distance on a map, but I'm not sure)?

[Etherealicer]

Funny thing, I found this old add from Switzerland... that thing was fairly expensive back in its time

The pictured compass is actually a predecessor. There is one "major" difference, the one in the add does not lock the disc on closing

[jerseydevil]

Very nice! I think that the X shaped tool is for converting distance on maps of different scales.  I'm probably wrong though.

[Tomcat_81]

What a beauty!

[TazzieRob]

Very nice! I think that the X shaped tool is for converting distance on maps of different scales.  I'm probably wrong though.

Looks like a roughly 2:1 scale conversion

What a compass!

[TazzieRob]

Very nice! I think that the X shaped tool is for converting distance on maps of different scales.  I'm probably wrong though.

Looks like a roughly 2:1 scale conversion

What a compass!

Or Miles to km? ~1.61:1

[MadPlumbarian]

Wow, it's a beauty! Nice find..
JR

[zoidberg]

P.S. anyone know what X-shaped thingy is called?

Proportional Dividers.

[David]

I dont know what it is but it sure is a cool compass and tools!

[Etherealicer]

Thanks guys, I love it

P.S. anyone know what X-shaped thingy is called?

Proportional Dividers.

I should not have googled that... now I want another one

Will try to figure out what the proportion is.

[Etherealicer]

Thanks guys, I love it

P.S. anyone know what X-shaped thingy is called?

Proportional Dividers.

I should not have googled that... now I want another one

Will try to figure out what the proportion is.

I don't have mine with me, but it might be from the 18th century (at least the design)

According to this

Item: Proportional Dividers
Period: 1750-1780
Material: Brass & Iron
Origin Country: Germany

[Grant Lamontagne]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

[Etherealicer]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

True that but a modern quality compass is so much easier to use. The needle is suspended in fluid and much more stable. Also if you look at the price, they did run at 68 Swiss Francs before WW1. Depending on methodology that would correspond to 1000 - 1500CHF today.

That said, it is beautifully built and georgeous

[Etherealicer]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

True that but a modern quality compass is so much easier to use. The needle is suspended in fluid and much more stable. Also if you look at the price, they did run at 68 Swiss Francs before WW1. Depending on methodology that would correspond to 1000 - 1500CHF today.

That said, it is beautifully built and georgeous

Darn, you made me look... Brunton Professional series

This baby costs 750$

That one will probably also last for a long time.

[Australia]

Nice find , I collect most things military, the compass field is a literal nightmare, really close aged replicas coming out of China and Pakistan, all stamped ect ect ,

A good guide is here

http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/Spotting-the-British-Army-Mk-111-compass-fakes-/10000000017383877/g.html

But closer scrutiny is needed for this type of compass , they have flooded the market and probably 1 out of 20 are Genuinely authentic.

Please don't take it the wrong way , failing the checklist you could put it up on warrelics forum for the in house experts to look at it for free .

Or if you happy with it as is that's all good ,
Cheers

All the best

[Etherealicer]

Nice find , I collect most things military, the compass field is a literal nightmare, really close aged replicas coming out of China and Pakistan, all stamped ect ect ,

A good guide is here

http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/Spotting-the-British-Army-Mk-111-compass-fakes-/10000000017383877/g.html

But closer scrutiny is needed for this type of compass , they have flooded the market and probably 1 out of 20 are Genuinely authentic.

Please don't take it the wrong way , failing the checklist you could put it up on warrelics forum for the in house experts to look at it for free .

Or if you happy with it as is that's all good ,
Cheers

All the best

Thanks for the hint, but the MK-111 is from the wrong war... The one I got here is WW1.
- I thought it is mother of pearl on the dial before I did read about it. I actually checked online to see if I'm right.
- Solid brass case
- Markings are all in the right place
- Too much detail
- All buttons work as intended
- Wear in the right places

Seriously, if that is a fake it is an excellent one, so good in fact that I don't care. I'm not a collector, I simply liked the compass.

[Australia]

I've slowed down the buying of items purely as the fakes are getting so close with adding wear and ageing,  its catching out longtime dealers of late ,

If you happy with it that's what counts,

Cheers

[Grant Lamontagne]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

True that but a modern quality compass is so much easier to use. The needle is suspended in fluid and much more stable. Also if you look at the price, they did run at 68 Swiss Francs before WW1. Depending on methodology that would correspond to 1000 - 1500CHF today.

That said, it is beautifully built and georgeous

Darn, you made me look... Brunton Professional series

This baby costs 750$
(Image removed from quote.)
That one will probably also last for a long time.

That might seem expensive, but if you are lost in the woods with trouble on three sides and safety on one you might feel it's a bargain!

Perhaps if your troops carried compasses like that they wouldn't have accidentally invaded Liechtenstein?   

Def

[Etherealicer]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

True that but a modern quality compass is so much easier to use. The needle is suspended in fluid and much more stable. Also if you look at the price, they did run at 68 Swiss Francs before WW1. Depending on methodology that would correspond to 1000 - 1500CHF today.

That said, it is beautifully built and georgeous

Darn, you made me look... Brunton Professional series

This baby costs 750$
(Image removed from quote.)
That one will probably also last for a long time.

That might seem expensive, but if you are lost in the woods with trouble on three sides and safety on one you might feel it's a bargain!

Perhaps if your troops carried compasses like that they wouldn't have accidentally invaded Liechtenstein?   

Def

Yes, and we used a chopper to steal water from France

I wager every Army has stories like this but in the Swiss army they are very public.
We had a big scandal because the army trained the invasion of Italy

[SteveC]

Great find E, and very cool as well   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I agree,  that it's a very cool find.

Def

[Etherealicer]

That is a gorgeous old compass!

Probably going to outlast most of the compasses made today by a long shot!

Def

True that but a modern quality compass is so much easier to use. The needle is suspended in fluid and much more stable. Also if you look at the price, they did run at 68 Swiss Francs before WW1. Depending on methodology that would correspond to 1000 - 1500CHF today.

That said, it is beautifully built and georgeous

Darn, you made me look... Brunton Professional series

This baby costs 750$
(Image removed from quote.)
That one will probably also last for a long time.

That might seem expensive, but if you are lost in the woods with trouble on three sides and safety on one you might feel it's a bargain!

Perhaps if your troops carried compasses like that they wouldn't have accidentally invaded Liechtenstein?   

Def

Oh, I'm not saying it is expensive... more like this is the compass you have to compare the old one to as it is in a similar price bracket.

I however doubt that it would save my life because it would probably sit at home in a strongbox,  no the compass that will safe my life, should it ever come to that (exceedingly unlikely) will be the Suunto clipped to the chest strap of my backpack (right next to the built in emergency whistle).

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah I have the same problem.

All my good stuff stays home safe while the mediocre stuff comes with me!

Def