Observator navigation sextant
Observator navigation sextant.
This is the navigation version of the survey sextant also in my collection. Although I try to avoid navigation sextants with a few exceptions to show their development, this one I just had to add to the collection. It was advertised as a survey sextant (hence my initial interest) but upon inspection it was clear that it wasn't a survey sextant at all. The previous owner came to the 'survey sextant' conclusion based upon the 'van Oord Survey Department' sticker on the box. And to be honest, the box actually belongs to an observator survey sextant (including the original handle). But the instrument, although missing its filters, isn't. Even the handle does not fit (and there are no upright legs). To make matters more complicated the calibration sheet is not even for this sextant but for a Freiberger...
Which to me proved the instrument is a former sextant used in surveying with a company like van Oord (or rather, originally with Adriaan Volker, one of van Oords predecessors). The reason, to a survey company the calibration certifcate does not matter; the filters are of no use and van Oord / its predecessors did own survey sextants as is shown by another Observator survey sextant in my collection.
The sextant has had a hard life and it is greasy / dirty. However, still a nice addition to my collection.
observator-nav
Data sheet
- Year
- c1969
- Serialnumber
- 869019
- Type of use
- Navigation
Survey - graduation
- deg
- measuring range
- 120
- Radius limb in mm
- 170
- Size instrument (l x w x h) in m
- 0.28 x 0.24 x 0.14
- weight instrument in kg
- 1.9
- Size case (l x w x h) in m
- 0.34 x 0.29 x 0.16
- weight case & in kg
- 3.2
- country obtained from
- Netherlands
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Observator navigation sextant.