Meteorological Theodolite, 1950s.

This item is a real collectors piece with a high historic and scientific interest. It is a balloon theodolite made in England in the 1950s that comes into its original solid mahogany wooden case. Both the theodolite and the case are in amazing condition. The instrument works like new and boasts an almost impeccable finish. Its solid metal body is painted in grayish green hammered enamel and the theodolite preserves all its original mobile parts and components. On the other hand, the mahogany wood case is also in excellent condition. It comes with a fabric and leather suitcase designed to carry the instrument into its wooden box. The theodolite has an oval plate with the inscription HILGER & WATTS MADE IN ENGLAND and the serial number Nº 119187 engraved in the metal and painted white.Hilger was founded in 1874 by two German precision optical instrument technicians, Adam and Otto Hilger. After leaving Germany to escape religious persecution they arrived to England and worked for the famous French physicist Foucault. When the firm had earned a reputation as one of the most prestigipus optical and precision instrument manufacturers in the world, in 1948 they merged with the well known meteorology instrument manufacturer E. R. Watts and from then on the company became known as Hilger & Watts. This balloon theodolite is a good example of the great quality the instruments manufactured by this firm boast.A balloon theodolite is designed to observe and measure angles of elevation and azimuth of pilot/weather balloons, aircraft, ships or other moving objects. The device comes with a series of original accessories, lenses and filters that are stored in their corresponding compartments into the box. The pieces the box is made of are assembled by delicate dovetail joints, nice and solid. The mahogany wood is in optimal condition and shows off its golden reddish color, with different shades and veneers as beautiful as the first day. Into the box there is a paper label with the description of the instrument, the handwritten serial number and an advice in red lettering that reads remove battery cells from instrument as soon as they are exhausted. This impressive balloon theodolite is a quality, prestigious and precise instrument that will stand out in the most complete collection of technical antiques.Measurements: Width: 230 mm/9 in. Height: 290 mm/11.4 in.