Barometers Realm

This drum-shaped mahogany barometer from the late 19th century, signed by the Dutch manufacturer W.B. Günther, is crafted from solid mahogany, turned into a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 145 millimeters. It is likely that the original barometer was equipped with a stand, into which the instrument’s body was placed; the brass suspension ring appears to have been added later.

On the front of the barometer, a brass bezel is seamlessly fitted into the instrument’s body, holding a wide beveled mineral glass, which protects the dial. A knurled brass handle is fixed through the center hole of the glass, allowing the user to adjust the trend indicator needle.

The open dial is made of cardboard, with a concentrically arranged barometric scale calibrated in millimeters of mercury. On the outer side of the scale, weather terms in Dutch are printed in uppercase letters, using different font sizes. The name and city of the manufacturer, W.B. Günther, Nymegen, are printed at the bottom of the dial.

Through the widely open dial, the conventional movement tensioned on a C-spring is clearly visible. This construction is typical of aneroid mechanisms by Lambrecht, who was likely the original manufacturer of the movement.

At the base of the aneroid barometer’s mechanism, a corrugated metal Vidie capsule (65 mm) is mounted on the frame plate. Above the capsule, a strong curved mirror-polished spring is secured to supports fixed on the mounting plate; this spring suspends the vacuum chamber.

A lever attached to the upper edge of the spring is connected to a second lever, which is fixed to the mounting plate. A pin from this lever is in turn linked to a chain, the other end of which is wound around and attached to the indicator needle shaft. The indicator hand itself is made of blued steel.

Additionally, a spiral spring is attached to the indicator needle’s shaft, ensuring the tension of the chain is maintained.

The design of the bridge and the plate holding the indicator shaft is characteristic of movements made by the German company Lambrecht; it is possible that Günther ordered them for his barometers.