Harry Geerts
Harry Geerts Manufacturer is a company producing so-called “Authentical replicas of an 18th-century Portuguese ship’s barometer.” The register plates of these barometers are often signed with names like R.N. Desterro of Lisbon, Dejoka of Lisbon, and similar. Since these signatures are usually engraved in an illegible manner, there are many interpretations of these names, such as Dyola, Destorro, and so on. It is both amusing and sad that these barometers are sometimes dated to the 16th century due to the “16 a 22” inscription on the scale, even though the barometer was invented only in the 17th century, in 1644.
This also includes replicas signed as Robi of Liverpool and the like (this list will be updated as new data becomes available).
In reality, the creators of these replicas copied the legendary Fitzroy marine barometer, also known as the “Gun Barometer,” which was manufactured by Negretti & Zambra under the instructions of Admiral Fitzroy himself. However, these replicas bear no resemblance to the original instrument — starting with the use of modern plastic protective glass and a completely useless vernier covering the barometric scale, and ending with the type of mercury tube, which is essentially a bulb-cistern barometer, and the absence of vulcanized rubber designed to absorb vibrations from naval cannon fire.
Unfortunately, these replicas are very often passed off as original instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Replicas of such barometers under the Roselli brand were also produced by H.N. Rose. However, the manufacturer always marked them with its own brand and never used false names or places of manufacture.
