Antique Sextant.co.uk
Welcome to the Antique Sextant website.
We specialise in genuine antique Sextant's and offer a large selection of top quality examples, prices range from £300 to over £1000 depending on age, maker, quality, condition and provenance.
The antique sextant is a very desirable maritime navigational instrument, they are a symbol of seafarers who have navigated the worlds oceans by using only the Sun, stars and Moon for fixing a position. The primary use of a sextant is to determine the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation. The angle and time can be used to calculate a position line on a nautical chart. A common use of the sextant includes sighting the sun at solar noon to determine latitude.
We also carry a large selection of top quality antique marine navigational instruments: Sextant's, Octant's, Quintant's, Ship and Yacht Compass, Ship's logs, Station pointers, Pelorus, Chart instruments etc.
The antique-sextant.co.uk website is part of Clipper Maritime Antiques and we have been trading for over 30 years and offer a personalised service. But don't just take our word for it, you can read our customer reviews and frequently asked quastions here.
Tel: 01736 794383 - Mobile: 07977 116608
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 Quintant is similar to the more common and well known Sextant, it is used in the same way but the Quintant has the ability to measure larger angles than the Sextant.
The Quintant gets it's name from the Latin word for 'a fifth' because it has an arc equivalent to one-fifth of a circle (72 degrees). Due to the doubling effect of the two mirrors this means it can measure angles of up to 144 degrees.
The Octant preceeded the design of the Sextant and it was invented by John Hadley and Thomas Godfrey simultaneously in 1731.
The Octant gets its name from the Latin word for 'a eighth' because it is an eighth of a circle (45 degrees) and can measures angles of up to 90 degrees.
In the early days the instrument frames were made from wood, usually Ebony with Ivory scales, however in the later years of Octant production the frames were made from brass and the scales were either Ivory or silver.
This Antique Sextant website is part of the CLIPPER MARITIME ANTIQUES group.
We have been buying and selling maritime antiques & nautical collectables for over 30 years.
PLEASE CHECK OUR OTHER CATAGORIES OF GENUINE MARITIME ANTIQUES & NAUTICAL COLLECTABLES BELOW.