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Vintage Norwegian Nautical Compass Bergen Nautik 85240 Ship Compass W/Autopilot cord. Comes in the original case.
Bergen Nautic is a Norwegian company with a long history, particularly known for making high-quality marine instruments like this compass.
Commercial ship 1980\'s!
Great working condition.
Designed to be incredibly stable and accurate even on a rocking boat. The numbers around the dial represent degrees from 0 to 360, with 0 (or 360) being North, 90 East, 180 South, and 270 West. The smaller markings between the cardinal points (N, E, S, W) help navigate with precision.
The compass itself is suspended in gimbals, which are those rings you see holding it. This clever design allows the compass card to remain relatively level regardless of the ship\'s motion, ensuring it always points to magnetic north. Older compasses like this one would have been crucial for navigation before modern GPS systems became common. It\'s a really cool piece of nautical history!