A vintage Enbeeco liquid filled prismatic compass, made by Newbold & Bulford Ltd c.1970. It is marked 'Enbeeco, Made in England' on the base. Enbeeco prismatic compasses were produced from c.1960s - 1980s and were similar to the military specification compasses made by Francis Barker. Enbeeco products were a cheaper alternative to the high-spec Barker M-series, and were chiefly manufactured for export to Middle Eastern armed forces. They were graduated either in degrees for infantry use, or in the Mils system for artillery. The Iraqi army used Enbeeco M-73 and M-88 type prismatic compasses in the 1991 Gulf War. Enbeeco also produced civilian versions, intended for field and survey work and for recreational use.
This Enbeeco prismatic is a civilian M-88 type, a 'lightweight', plastic cased, liquid-filled compass, graduated in degrees. The Enbeeco compasses shared design features and some parts from the Barker M-series - the brass lid window guard is identical to those used on the Barker M-71 and M-72, and the luminous 'glow in the dark' markers are the same as those used in the M-71.
(Further details of the Enbeeco compasses can be found at compassmuseum.com))
Newbold & Bulford Ltd: were one of the oldest British optical instrument companies, apparently dating back to the 1790s. They were listed at the 1953 British Industries Fair in London aa 'Manufacturers of and Sole Agents for Binoculars, Barometers, Barographs, Compasses Of All Types, Including Car Compasses, Magnifiers, Microscopes, Surveying Levels, Spectacles, Sun Glasses, Reading Glasses, and Telescopes'. For a short time the company was part of the same group as Francis Barker & Son Ltd, and they shared common technology and tooling. As a result, Enbeeco prismatic compasses were similar to the Barker M-Series - although the Enbeeco products were budget versions of the much more expensive Barker products. The company was eventually taken over by the Pyser Optics group - the current manufacturers of Francis Barker M-Series compasses.
Condition:
In very good condition, full working order, and finds North very well. There are no bubbles in the fluid. There are some minor marks to one side of the plastic case. The luminous markers still glow in the dark.
Dimensions : 85mm x 60mm x 30mm
