A large nautical gimbal-mounted ship’s compass manufactured by N.V. Observator, Rotterdam. The instrument features a heavily constructed brass housing supported by a pivoting metal gimbal ring designed to maintain a level orientation at sea. The multi-layered compass card is marked with Dutch directional abbreviations including O (Oost), Z (Zuid), W (West), NO (Noord-Oost), ZO (Zuid-Oost), ZW (Zuid-West), and NW (Noord-West). The card bears the maker’s logo positioned towards the lower left, depicting a figure using a nautical instrument above the arched text OBSERVATOR. A central white spherical float is visible within the dial assembly. The outer brass bezel is engraved with a 0-360 degree scale in ten-degree increments. The unit is encased behind a circular glass face.
Diameter: 10 inches
Depth: 5 inches.
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