The Life-Buoy Marine Barometer by Dollond c.1885

A scarce bulkhead mounting The Life-Buoy aneroid marine barometer by Dollond, London c1885. Marine barometer having 4¾” transfer-printed ceramic dial, the upper part with standard meteorological terms and general prognostications, the barometric scale calibrated in inches of mercury and with a range from 26”– 31”, divided to 1/20ths”. The dial centre surrounded by a life ring annotated “The Life-Buoy” and further detailed “Trade Mark.” Blued steel pointer, gilt brass index, silvered reflector ring, all set beneath a heavy bevelled glass maintained in a brass bezel. Conventional high quality Vidie pattern aneroid movement driven from a 2½” capsule tensioned on a C spring. The whole contained within a cast iron drum form case, the verso with calibration port, bulkhead mounting points at 12 and 6 o’clock, calibration port to verso. Condition: The subject of a full service, conservation, and calibration under laboratory conditions. The movement presenting acceptably accurate readings across the standard barometric range, see performance chart from dynamic test. The dial with light crazing commensurate with age. The graphics with excellent resolution, the cream painted finish with some losses, the lacquered finish to bezel appearing original. Comments: Dollond constructed a series of ‘novelty’ barometers, partly as a foil to their immensely successful series of “Shipwrecked Mariners Society” barometers, but primarily as a marketing exercise. A number of versions based on the same movement as found in the Shipwrecked barometers are known, to include “ The Universal” and “The Royal Standard” pattern instruments, both of which must be considered very scarce. “The Life-Buoy” variant is known in two quite distinctly different forms: this cast iron cased and bulkhead mounted barometer and an oak cased variant. This barometer would originally been supplied in a blackened finish, as per the verso, and the cream paint to the sides has been applied at some point in its life, albeit some time ago. One of the more collectable bulkhead mounting marine barometers, this particular design being quite scarce.