Ross London Pocket Compass with Leather Box - in HIGH Tide or Low Tide I’LL BE by Your Side - Vintage Style Engraved Compass - Adventure Compass - Antique Style Gift Compass

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It comes with mother of pearl dial divided into degreees with an accuracy of +/- 1/2 degree, and is in exceptional cosmetic condition, even the luminous points are still active. This M88 is a dual use model, calibrated in both mils & degrees, and the padded pouch has a clip for belt attachment. Most examples I have seen in the past were from the WW2 period, so quite unusual to find one this early in such good condition. This brass bodied surveyors compass has a silvered dial with an outer ring scale divided into four quadrants and a steel needle pivoting on a gemstone bearing under a clean glass crystal.

On the underside is written faintley " W Lee. London Road Reading, Berks", there looks to be additional, illegible text written ( see photo). The elegant blued steel needle is impressed 'N' & 'S' in gold lettering & sits over a clean paper compass dial incorporating 16 cardinal & intercardinal points with a fleur de lys for North.William Simms inherited his fathers jewellery business in the early 1800s which was soon converted to the manufacture of scientific instruments.

It's dated 1912 and signed 'E.R. WATTS & SON, LONDON. 1912, No 3646 \ |/ /|\' on the underside and stamped 'VERNER'S PATTERN VI' on the lid. Although not dated, manufacture of the MK V compass design was discontinued in 1916, so we know that this compass predates 1917. This WW1 era Verner's Pattern MK VI prismatic marching compass was the forerunner of the more common MK VII and MK VIII models used during WW1.

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Not only is this Glauser MK 4 a rare compass, but it's also in excellent condition and comes complete with its leather case & most of the original service kit. This is a late 19th century surveying compass signed 'T. COOKE & SONS LTD. LONDON, YORK & CAPETOWN'

In the mid-20th century, Ross continued to produce lenses, as well as binoculars, epidiascopes, etc. They had begun supplying lenses for Ensign cameras in the 1930s. After World War II Ross merged with Barnet Ensign, and the company later became Ross Ensign, lenses were also made for other companies such as MPP. This particular model is the M88 which is made from a lightweight yet robust aluminium alloy, and has 5 active self luminous tritium lights enabling full night and day operation.After duty in South Africa, he was sent in 1904 as the War Office representative with the Russian army in Manchuria traveling extensively across Russia. His final visit before the October Revolution came in October 1916, when he had an audience with Tsar Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov at his headquarters in Mogilev. c1840 Ross started making lenses for cameras. The lenses were engraved A. Ross, London. Ross had an early association with Carl Zeiss in Jena; Zeiss licensed some Ross patent designs particularly for EWA lenses and in turn Ross had a licence for the British Empire to make some Carl Zeiss lens types. The MK VI is less common and unusual to find in relatively good condition, particularly with its centre paper label completely intact, although the anti slip ring appears to be a later replacement. It is accompanied by a leather case which is in good condition with all stitching intact and has the letters "E.V.B" impressed on one side, and on the other side is written "J R Richardson R.M" in faint pen, which would have been a previous owner, possibly in the Royal Marines. Manufactured between 1915 -1930 by Francis Barker & Son for the Indian Army which was still under British rule, it is inscribed 'Mk VII' on the lid and 'M.I.O 1917' on the base, along with a military crowfoot above an 'I', indicating it was part of the Indian Army. Advert in British Industries Fair Catalogue as an Optical, Scientific and Photographic Exhibit. Manufacturers of Photographic Lenses, Cameras, Prism Binoculars, Field Glasses, Opera Glasses, Telescopes, Terrestrial, Astronomical, Cinematograph Projectors, Search-light Arc Lamps, Equipment, Optical Lanterns, Aeronautical, Astronomical and Nautical Instruments, Lenses, Prisms of all kinds. (Scientific Section - Stand No. O.32) [2]