A Binnacle compass, popularly called a "helmet" compass, was originally designed to be a lifeboat compass. It was so practical that they soon tripled its size and made it the ship's main compass, typically mounted above the ship's wheel. An internal oil lamp (replaceable with a battery-operated light) would illuminate the compass at night. This is a beautifully crafted, quality reproduction of an antique Binnacle Compass. The C. Hamburg Plath German compass card (liquid) is fully gasketted gimbaled to give the steadiest reading in even the choppiest waters. The compass is enclosed in a polished brass case with a round shatter-proof glass window.

The compass measures 7 inches tall, 9 inches wide, the base is 6 inches in diameter. This is not solid but made of super-strong 20 gauge brass that gives it all the toughness of a solid brass binnacle without the inconvenient weight. This unit weighs about 2 kgs. A great size for store and office display and great on your navigation table too! You will be surprised how something size can attract attention -  both to your boat's decor and to the other nautical goodies you might have in your shop window or nauticalia collection. The lamps and the air-damped compass are fully functional.