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Optical Instruments

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**CHECKED & CLEANED**FULLY FUNCTIONING**WW2 1944 British WD Officer’s Mess Hall Smith’s Empire Astral Pallet Movement Large Wall Clock With No.10 Popular Progress Key. Sn 22942 - 22942
The history of the Smiths Astral clock began in 1932 when S. Smith and Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd purchased the English Clock and Watch Manufacturers, acquiring the trade name Astral for their high-quality marine clocks and other products. The Astral became a respected brand for various items, including watches and, notably, the eight-day ships' clocks used for watchkeeping on the bridge. Smith’s Empire Astral Pallet Movement clocks are very durable and reliable. This is an original checked & cleaned WW2 1944 British WD Officer’s Mess Hall Smith’s Empire Astral Pallet Movement Large Wall Clock With No.10 Popular Progress Key. The clock is un-damaged and has a hinged glazed cover with brass rim and wood frame (14” clock face diameter, 17” overall width, 4 ¾” deep). The clean clock face is clearly marked with black Roman Numeral hour marks & minute marks. The face below the winding hole has crisp WD broad arrow 1944 date and ‘Smith’s English Clocks Ltd London’. The face of the clock also has a slow / fast adjuster slot. The rim of the glazed cover and back of the wood frame have latches which lock together to keep the cover securely in place. The rear top of the wood frame has a bracket for wall hanging. The clock keeps excellent time and its steel key is numbered ‘10’ and ‘Popular Progress Made In England’. The key winds the clock correctly. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 22942 (clocks shelf storeroom)
£495.00

**QUALITY**NAMED VICTORIAN 1848-1884 PROMINENT BRITISH ROYAL NAVY CAPTAIN’S 2 DRAW DAY OR NIGHT BRASS TELESCOPE**By Thomas Harris & Sons London Engraved To 'Capt H. Chads R.N’ With Sliding Eye Piece & Lens Shutters. Sn 22896 - 22896
The most prominent "Captain Chads" of the Royal Navy were two men from the same family: Henry Ducie Chads (1788-1868), an officer from the Napoleonic Wars to the Crimean War, and his son, Admiral Sir Henry Chads (1819-1906), who served as Commander-in-Chief of The Nore. The family also had a prior ancestor, Captain Henry Chads R.N. (died 1799), who was the father of Henry Ducie Chads. Admiral Sir Henry Chads KCB (27 October 1819 – 29 June 1906) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore. Born the son of Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, Henry Chads joined the Royal Navy in 1832 and went on to take part in operations against Malay pirates in the Strait of Malacca. Promoted to Captain in 1848, he commanded HMS Portland, HMS Amphion, HMS Conway, HMS Nile and then HMS London. He was appointed Captain-Superintendent of Deptford Dockyard in 1863 and Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1876 before retiring in 1884. He lived at Portland House in Southsea and there is a memorial to him in St Judes Church in Portsmouth. Thomas Harris originally established his firm in 1780 based at 9 and 22 Cornhill, London. He brought his son William into the firm in 1806 to form T Harris & Son – moving to 140 Fleet Street in the same year, and then 20 Duke Street in 1808. Between 1810 and 1817 they were based at 30 Hyde Park, but their main premises were at 52 Great Russell Street, occupying this address between 1816 and 1885. By 1890 they were at 32 Gracechurch Street, remaining there until 1901. The company had a royal appointment to the Prince Regent in 1819 and to King George IV in 1820. T. Harris & Son were known as opticians and makers of globes, mathematical instruments, and telescopes. Their ‘Day or Night’ telescopes were commonly used on board ship. As the name suggests, they could also be used at night because they had relatively large objective lenses to collect the maximum amount of light. Telescopes of this kind, marketed as “Day or Night,” were particularly valuable to Royal Navy Captains & watch officers stationed on deck at night.. This is an original ROYAL NAVY CAPTAIN’S 2 DRAW DAY OR NIGHT BRASS TELESCOPE By Thomas Harris & Sons London, the rim of the barrel engraved To Capt H. Chads R.N’. It is made brass & the barrel is bound with basket weave for grip and protection. One draw is signed by the maker ‘T. Harris & Sons London Day Or Night’. All optics of the telescope are excellent and function as they should. The scope has sliding brass shutters to protect the eyepiece and lens. The scope is 15 ¼” in length when closed and 35” length fully drawn. The price for this telescope by a quality maker attributed to a Prominent British Royal Navy Captain includes UK delivery. Sn 22896
£675.00

Northern Ireland Troubles & Falklands War Era 1977 Dated British L2A2 SUIT (Sight Unit Infantry Trilux) Low Light 4 x Prism Sight Unit For British L1A1 SLR Infantry Rifles & GPMG’s With L1A1 SLR Rifle Top Mount Rail. OPT 900 - OPT 900
The SUIT sight is a 4× prism sight with tritium-powered illumination, utilised at dusk or dawn. The full name is the L2A2 Sight Unit Infantry Trilux. The sight is not designed as a sniper sight, but as a standard issue infantry sight to improve the infantryman's night fighting capability and to assist target identification at long range in daylight and in poor light conditions. These sights were mounted on the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle or GPMG. The SUIT sight was developed in the United Kingdom by Royal Armaments Research Development Establishment (RARDE) and is manufactured by Avimo Ltd., now known as Thales UK. It was first produced in 1976 by Avimo Ltd in London and is regarded as an early optical combat sight. The FN FAL from which the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle was derived was not designed for mounting optical sights like the SUIT. To mount the SUIT, a new top cover was designed. This had a rail welded to the top to accept the sight mount, and two tabs at the rear of the pressed sheet steel cover which butted against the back of the upper receiver, preventing the cover from sliding on its rails and affecting the weapon's zero. The custom top receiver cover rail mounting causes an offset of the optical sight axis to the left side in relation to the receiver and barrel center axis. This prismatic offset design of the sight helped to improve clearance around the action, reduce the overall length of the sight, parallax errors and heat mirage from the barrel as it heated up during firing. The mounting system was technically complex as it combined interfaces between the rifle and the top cover and the rail and the SUIT sight unit itself. Sight adjustment was performed on the front of the SUIT unit base for elevation and on the right bottom side for windage. The SUIT L2A2 scopes were used by British forces during the Falklands war and the troubles in Northern Ireland. Illustrated in image 1 but not included is an L1A1 SLR rifle fitted with SUIT sight and Sight rail. Illustrated In image 3 Is a British Paratrooper in the field armed with an SLR mounted with SUIT sight. The Optics of our SUIT with military reticle are excellent and fully functional (The radioactive tritium light source has to be replaced every 8–12 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay and as is common our SUIT sight has no power). The rubber eye cup is complete. The identification plate is absent from the sight but the sight retains it’s radioactive symbol roundel and date roundel ‘3/77’ (March 1977). The Unit is complete with its correct top rail mount for L1A1 SLR rifles. The price includes UK delivery. OPT 900 (rifle sights shelf storeroom)
£975.00

**RECENTLY SERVICED**FULL WORKING ORDER**C1900 Armstrongs Of Manchester Brass Cased Naval Bulkhead Ship’s Clock Complete With Key. Sn 22762 - 22762
The famous watch and clockmaking family business Armstrongs of Manchester was founded at 88 Deansgate in 1825 by Joseph Armstrong (born 1801) and 2 of his 13 children, followed him into his Deansgate business - Thomas Armstrong (1829-91) and George Booth Armstrong (1836-91). On their father’s retirement in c1858, these two brothers then formed a partnership from the 88 Deansgate premises, changing the name of the business to ‘Thomas Armstrong & Brother’ and by 1860, opening a second retail outlet at 80 Deansgate, Manchester. With this additional retail space, the brothers also extending their product offering into jewellery and optical supplies and services. This is an excellent brass nautical ship’s bulkhead clock by Armstrongs of Manchester made C1900. It has a 6” diameter face which is clean. It has 1-12 hour Roman numeral markings with black metal hour and minute hands. It is marked on the face by the manufacturer ‘Armstrongs Manchester’. The face also has an adjustable slow-fast slider in a slot for fine tuning the time keeping & a hole for key winding. The clock case is brass and measures 8” diameter including its integral rim which has 4 factory drilled holes for wall mounting. It has a hinged, brass rimmed, glazed face cover and is complete with steel winding key. The clock case is 4” deep with the face closed. This clock has recently been fully serviced and is fully functioning, keeping precise time. The price for this excellent nautical time piece includes UK delivery. Sn 22762 (clocks shelf storeroom)
£475.00

Italian, WW2 Era, 6.5mm Breda 30 Machine Gun Prismatic Optical Sight. - OPT 824
The Italians main machine gun during WW2 was the 6.5mm Breda 30 machine gun. This is a detachable prismatic optical sight for the machine gun which is made with a heavy brass body and a machined dovetail on the bottom and caries the serial number 875 stamped onto it. the front of the body is engraved SAN GIORGIO SESTRI PONETE. This company specialised on rangefinders and artillery instruments during World War 1. The rear is engraved 6,5____105oo (6.5 x magnification). The sight has vertical reticles between 0 to 10 with crosshairs and windage from 1 to 10. The price for this rare to find prismatic machine gun sight includes U.K. delivery. OPT 824
£245.00

WWII MkII Scout Regiment Telescope for the Snipers No4T Rifle Kit with Leather Case. 22558. - 22558
The MkII scout regiment telescope was first introduced in 1939 at the start of WWII and soon after supplied as an integral part of the snipers No4T kit chest issued alongside the Holland & Holland modified Lee Enfield No.4 (T) snipers’ rifle, matched scope, officers’ prismatic compass, etc. The 20x-22x telescope provided a good balance between ease of use/weight, acquiring targets, and locating other snipers. The scope is stamped with the British Military broad arrow, confirming service issue, and other marks show the model number ‘OS.126.GA’ maker Broadhurst Clarkson Ltd (Broadhurst Clarkson and Fuller Ltd is one of the oldest names in UK amateur astronomy. We have a trading history that stretches back to 1785. From Spectacles, microscopes, sextants and quadrants. Terrestrial and astronomical telescopes, the company has a fine tradition of craftsmanship and innovation. A large part of the business was manufacturing telescopes for the war office through both world wars with its own large factories in London) and serial number which dates it c1943 possibly very early 1944. The lenses and brass work are in very good order as with the leather work. The price includes UK delivery. 22558.
£375.00
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