Antique Sextant Quintant by Salmoiraghi, Milano.

ANTIQUE QUINTANT / SEXTANT No. 22

Antique Quintant / Sextant by Salmoiraghi, Milano.

A fine early 20th century navigators Quintant with a rare triangle frame design frame. Beautifully hand engraved on the arc Salmoiraghi, Milano. (this instrument was almost certainly made by Troughton & Simms and licensed to Salmoiraghi - see other identical instruments here or here)

The Sextant was invented by Admiral John Campbell in 1757 after he discovered that the Octant was unable to measure angles large enough for Lunar distances ( Distance between Moon, Sun or Stars ) so he increased the 90 degree angle of the Octant to 120 degrees which formed the Sextant. He then engaged the nautical instrument maker John Bird to construct the first Sextant in 1759.

The Sextant gets its name from the Latin word for 'a sixth' because it is a sixth of a circle (60 degrees) and can measures angles of up to 120 degrees.

The silver scale is engraved from -8 degrees to 155 degrees and can measure angles up to 142 degrees, the scale is divided into 10 minute increments. The index arm has swinging scale magnifier and the silver Vernier scale reads from 0 to 10 seconds of arc.

Sextant Radius: 6.75 inch / 17cm.

Height of Sextant frame: 9 inches / 23cm

Width of Sextant frame: 10.25 inches / 26cm

Box measures: 10.25x10.25 inches / 26x26 cm

It is contained within its original fitted hardwood storage box. It is complete with all its accessories - Three telescopes, 1 x spare telescope eyepiece, 2 x telescope sun filters and mirror adjusting tool.

Edward Troughton was an apprentice to his uncle John Troughton and he became a pioneering mathematical instrument maker in London, he also worked with his brother John Troughton. In 1826 they became partners with another prestigious instrument maker William Simms, The company was then renamed Troughton & Simms. In 1916 the company was incorporated to form Troughton & Simms Ltd. In 1922 this company merged with T. Cooke & Sons and was renamed again to become Cooke, Troughton & Simms Ltd.

This antique celestial navigation instrument is in superb condition considering it is over 100 years old. It is beautifully engineered and made using word class engineering skills, British navigational instrument makers were reputed to have made the best and most accurate instruments in the world.

Clipper Maritime Antiques specialises in antique navigation instruments. We offer a wide selection of top quality antique Sextant’s, Quintant’s and Octant’s, prices range from £300 to over £1000.

Price on request: Please Email us your enquiry or if you would like any help or advice about choosing an antique celestial navigation instrument.