I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
French.

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Mr. Art wrote:
> I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
> Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
> French.

It's an Awesome Rolex !

=)

-- 
Tor Olav
http://subcube.net
http://subcube.com

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Tor Olav Kristensen wrote:
> Mr. Art wrote:
> 
>> I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
>> Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
>> French.
> 
> 
> It's an Awesome Rolex !
> 
> =)

Ok - Now seriously:

It looks like some kind of tilt indicator. Maybe for an old ship ?

Translation:


Descente -> Descent

(From http://babelfish.altavista.com)

-- 
Tor Olav
http://subcube.net
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Tor Olav Kristensen wrote:
> It looks like some kind of tilt indicator. Maybe for an old ship ?

I was going to say a cannon aiming aid. Perhaps of the Maginot Line?

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news:web.415343ee95cfa299dd1d87f30@news.povray.org...
> I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
> Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
> French.
>

Ok, let's do some sleuthing here. My first guess is that it's a nautical or
aeronautical instrument. In fact, the "up" and "down" markings seem to
indicate some sort of early flight instrument.
Now, the writing around the case isn't very legible, but the last word looks
like "Derrien". It's a French surname, so it could very well be the maker's
name.
Now let's turn to Google: Derrien + instruments turns up a bunch of
unrelated links but this one is interesting:
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/websters/d.htm
Bingo! Derrien was a sextant maker and was associated with Le Prieur... and
"Le Prieur" can also be read on the instrument just before Derrien! So it
looks like the full name of the makers was Le Prieur-Derrien.
Now, who was Le Prieur? He was a naval officer and a rather intersting
fellow http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/le_prieur.html
He's credited with several feats and inventions: first man to fly (in a
glider) in Japan, invention of the first air-to-air combat rocket, of an
early scuba system and of various nautical and flight instruments, including
an early flight drift metre called a "navigraphe". This system can be seen
somewhere on this (famous) flight panel (Maurice Bellonte's navigator
panel), though it's impossible to know if it's the one in your image.
http://storage.mfa.free.fr/histpoint3uk.html
Therefore my guess would be a Le Prieur navigraph engineered by Derrien, and
used from 1925 onwards on French-made planes. Of course, Le Prieur created
other instruments (he died in 1963), so it could be something else...

G.

-- 

**********************
http://www.oyonale.com
**********************
- Graphic experiments
- POV-Ray and Poser computer images
- Posters


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That's interesting.



news:41541843@news.povray.org...

> news:web.415343ee95cfa299dd1d87f30@news.povray.org...
> > I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
> > Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
> > French.
> >
>
> Ok, let's do some sleuthing here. My first guess is that it's a nautical
or
> aeronautical instrument. In fact, the "up" and "down" markings seem to
> indicate some sort of early flight instrument.
> Now, the writing around the case isn't very legible, but the last word
looks
> like "Derrien". It's a French surname, so it could very well be the
maker's
> name.
> Now let's turn to Google: Derrien + instruments turns up a bunch of
> unrelated links but this one is interesting:
> http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/websters/d.htm
> Bingo! Derrien was a sextant maker and was associated with Le Prieur...
and
> "Le Prieur" can also be read on the instrument just before Derrien! So it
> looks like the full name of the makers was Le Prieur-Derrien.
> Now, who was Le Prieur? He was a naval officer and a rather intersting
> fellow http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/le_prieur.html
> He's credited with several feats and inventions: first man to fly (in a
> glider) in Japan, invention of the first air-to-air combat rocket, of an
> early scuba system and of various nautical and flight instruments,
including
> an early flight drift metre called a "navigraphe". This system can be seen
> somewhere on this (famous) flight panel (Maurice Bellonte's navigator
> panel), though it's impossible to know if it's the one in your image.
> http://storage.mfa.free.fr/histpoint3uk.html
> Therefore my guess would be a Le Prieur navigraph engineered by Derrien,
and
> used from 1925 onwards on French-made planes. Of course, Le Prieur created
> other instruments (he died in 1963), so it could be something else...
>
> G.
>
> -- 
>
> **********************
> http://www.oyonale.com
> **********************
> - Graphic experiments
> - POV-Ray and Poser computer images
> - Posters
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
>
>
>
>

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message de news: 41537ed8@news.povray.org...
>
> It looks like some kind of tilt indicator. Maybe for an old ship ?
>
> Translation:
>

> Descente -> Descent
>
Hi
Yes translation is correct but I don't think wee need a rise/descent
indicator aboard a ship, a ship is expected to follow roughly surface of the
sea even if the sea happens to be rough by itself.
I rather think of an old (bubble?) artificial horizon for a plane or a
submarine.
More likely for a plane because it has a spring mount, I think, to damp
engine vibrations.

What does the winner get? :-p

Marc

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Gilles Tran nous apporta ses lumieres ainsi en ce 2004-09-24 08:52... :


>news:web.415343ee95cfa299dd1d87f30@news.povray.org...
>  
>
>>I was sent this image to identify, but I can't tell what it is.
>>Can anyone here tell what it is. The words look like they might be
>>French.
>>
>>    
>>
>
>Ok, let's do some sleuthing here. My first guess is that it's a nautical or
>aeronautical instrument. In fact, the "up" and "down" markings seem to
>indicate some sort of early flight instrument.
>Now, the writing around the case isn't very legible, but the last word looks
>like "Derrien". It's a French surname, so it could very well be the maker's
>name.
>Now let's turn to Google: Derrien + instruments turns up a bunch of
>unrelated links but this one is interesting:
>http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/history/websters/d.htm
>Bingo! Derrien was a sextant maker and was associated with Le Prieur... and
>"Le Prieur" can also be read on the instrument just before Derrien! So it
>looks like the full name of the makers was Le Prieur-Derrien.
>Now, who was Le Prieur? He was a naval officer and a rather intersting
>fellow http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/le_prieur.html
>He's credited with several feats and inventions: first man to fly (in a
>glider) in Japan, invention of the first air-to-air combat rocket, of an
>early scuba system and of various nautical and flight instruments, including
>an early flight drift metre called a "navigraphe". This system can be seen
>somewhere on this (famous) flight panel (Maurice Bellonte's navigator
>panel), though it's impossible to know if it's the one in your image.
>http://storage.mfa.free.fr/histpoint3uk.html
>Therefore my guess would be a Le Prieur navigraph engineered by Derrien, and
>used from 1925 onwards on French-made planes. Of course, Le Prieur created
>other instruments (he died in 1963), so it could be something else...
>
>G.
>
>  
>
Nice detective work!
I'd make a quess about the function of this instrument: I think it's 
similar to the moderns artificial horizon on today's planes: it shows if 
the plane is rising, diving or banking.

Alain

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> Nice detective work!
> I'd make a quess about the function of this instrument: I think it's
> similar to the moderns artificial horizon on today's planes: it shows if
> the plane is rising, diving or banking.
>
> Alain


I think that it is not made for planes but for zepplins ! (maybe in the
20's)

Rene.

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Rene Bui nous apporta ses lumieres ainsi en ce 2004-09-25 17:00... :

>>Nice detective work!
>>I'd make a quess about the function of this instrument: I think it's
>>similar to the moderns artificial horizon on today's planes: it shows if
>>the plane is rising, diving or banking.
>>
>>Alain
>>    
>>
>
>
>I think that it is not made for planes but for zepplins ! (maybe in the
>20's)
>
>Rene.
>
For a zepplin, the text would be in german, not french. A zepplin is a 
german dirigeable.

Alain

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