Product Description

​Vintage Brass Pocket Watch-Style Compass – Signed S. & W. N.Y. Dial Face – Specialized Reversed East-West Surveyor's Layout – Stamped "U.S." Front Lid

​Up for online auction is a vintage pocket watch-style brass field compass. Housed in a heavy solid brass hunter case casing, the front flip-open lid features a deeply engraved block-font "U.S." property marking. The entire raw brass body displays a beautiful, uncleaned dark golden-brown patina from generations of storage.

​Specialized Surveyor's Dial Layout:

Pressing the top watch-stem crown button automatically drops the spring latch to pop the front lid open. The interior features a crisp silver-white dial face signed "S. & W. N.Y." above the North arrow (Photos #3 & #4). This specific variation features a reversed directional layout (with East printed on the left side of the dial and West printed on the right). This layout allowed surveyors to read direct bearing azimuths straight off the needle tip without doing inverse conversion calculations. The needle is balanced by a distinct triangular spade tail weight.

​Item Specifics

​Brand/Maker Mark: S. & W. N.Y. (Schanes & Wright / Standard Contractor Layout)

​Face Markings: Stamped "U.S." on Front Lid

​Dial Layout: Specialized Reversed East/West Orientation

​Case Profile: Hunter Case (Pocket Watch Spring Button Stem Release Layout)

​Material: Solid Brass with Dark Aged Tarnish Patina

​Dimensions: Approximately 1.75 inches in diameter / 3 inches tall to top loop (Photo #8)

​Condition Report

​Exterior Casing Aesthetics: Good vintage condition. The solid brass case has taken on a heavy, uncleaned layer of dark golden-brass oxidation, surface scratches, and storage handling scuffs from real-world age (Photos #1 & #2). The interior lid exhibits minor tarnish spots (Photo #3). Free of side-panel impact crushing or deep flat spots. The top watch-bow ring remains completely straight and firmly attached to the stem post.

​Dial & Needle Mechanism: Excellent functional condition. The clear glass crystal is intact with no deep cracks. The signed dial face remains beautifully preserved with deep black calibrations (Photo #4). The magnetic needle floats freely on its center pivot and settles correctly toward magnetic North. The spring-loaded lid catch holds securely and pops open smoothly when the crown button is depressed.